Myanmar's court postponed Tuesday's verdict in the trial of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow for the testimony of one extra witness.
According to a legal official, the court granted a defense motion to allow a doctor who had previously been unable to appear in court to add his testimony.
The verdict would be the 76-year-old Nobel laureate's first since the army seized control on Feb. 1, detaining her and preventing her National League for Democracy party from seeking re-election.
She is also facing trials on various other accusations, including corruption, for which she may face a sentence of dozens of years in prison if convicted.
On Tuesday, the court was scheduled to issue a verdict on inciting and breaking coronavirus limitations.
The judge deferred the case until Dec. 6, when the new witness, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, is set to testify, according to the legal official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the government's restrictions on the dissemination of information about the trial. It was unknown when a verdict would be handed down.
The instances are primarily believed to have been staged to tarnish Suu Kyi and prevent her from competing in the upcoming election. Anyone serving a jail sentence is barred from holding high office or becoming a legislator under the constitution.
In last November's general election, her party won by a landslide. The army, whose associated party lost numerous seats, claimed widespread voter fraud, but impartial election monitors detected no significant abnormalities.
Suu Kyi continues to enjoy widespread popularity and symbolizes the struggle against the military dictatorship.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the army's takeover was met with widespread nonviolent protests, which security forces put down with lethal force, murdering approximately 1,300 civilians.
Due to the government's heavy prohibitions on nonviolent protest, the armed opposition has developed in cities and rural areas to the point where United Nations experts have warned the country is on the verge of civil war.
Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent battle for democracy, has not been seen in public since she was detained on the day of the military coup. She has appeared in court at several of her closed-door trials.
In October, Suu Kyi's lawyers were served with gag orders prohibiting them from disclosing court procedures.
