Myanmar junta intimidating lawyers who represent opponents: Report
Judge's gavel. Representative image
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday (June 7) that lawyers defending political detainees in Myanmar military junta-run courts are facing harassment and are even being jailed by military authorities. HRW warned that intimidation was forcing many lawyers to stop taking cases.
The military junta toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi more than two years ago. The country has been in turmoil ever since. The military junta has arrested tens of thousands in a crackdown on dissent within the country.
Rights groups allege that the authorities have used courts to throttle opponents. These include Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's former president win Myint. Both of them were jailed for lengthy terms by closed-door courts.
HRW said in a report that defence lawyers, who are defending political detainees, are working in "special courts" set up by the military junta. These lawyers, says the report, are facing harassment and are even being threatened by the authorities. The report is based on interviews with 19 lawyers.
"In the courtroom, I now have to worry about not getting myself detained rather than speaking the truth," one Yangon-based lawyer told the watchdog.
"Everyone at the court knows who I am... The junta can detain me at any time, and they can and will make up any reasons they want."
Lawyer given 15-year jail term
HRW mentioned the case of attorney Ywet Nu Aung. She was reportedly detained as she left a court hearing. She was representing a former chief minister and member of Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).
It was alleged that Ywet Nu Aung was helping to provide money to anti-junta militias. She was later sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour.
Human Rights Watch said that lawyers are regularly barred from talking with clients in private before hearings. Moreover, in an overcrowded legal system, some lawyers had taken on hundreds of cases.
"Sometimes cross-examination doesn't even happen," another lawyer told HRW.
"It's near impossible to challenge what they (the prosecution) present as evidence, and we never get to have a defendant released on bail."
All 19 lawyers told HRW they had experienced "intimidation and surveillance by junta authorities".
"Few have been willing to put themselves at risk of further surveillance and intimidation and many have stopped taking cases," HRW said.
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More than 23,000 people have been arrested by the junta since the coup in February 2021, according to a local monitoring group.
Last year, a junta-controlled court ordered the execution of a former NLD lawmaker along with a prominent activist over allegations of "terrorism" — Myanmar's first use of capital punishment in decades.
(With inputs from agencies)
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