Mrauk-U court again delays verdict in Lekka villagers’ terrorism trial

By DMG 25 Jan 2022

DMG Newsroom
25 January 2022, Mrauk-U

A court in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township on January 25 again postponed an expected verdict in the case of more than 20 residents of Lekka village who have been charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

The court delayed the verdict in the Lekka villagers’ trial despite all prosecution and defence witnesses having been examined in the case.

The court did not reveal why the verdict was postponed, but a ruling will instead be handed down on February 8, said U Aung Sit Min, a lawyer with the Min Htee Law Firm.

“It is possible that the judges also have a lot of difficulties in delivering the verdict. Procrastination is not a good thing. The court may not have issued the order for political reasons,” he said.

The Lekka villagers were arrested in April 2019 on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army. They have since been facing multiple charges under the Counter-Terrorism Law, as well as under Section 21(a) of the Arms Act.

Only a handful of family members of the Lekka detainees attended Monday’s hearing. Financial difficulties have prevented many family members from consistently attending court proceedings as the trial has dragged on.

Daw Ma Phru Oo, the younger sister of detained Lekka villager U Hla Tin Nu, said the latest postponement of the verdict would mean additional financial hardship.

“We have a lot of problems because the court has postponed the verdict. Many families could not come to the court hearing because they did not have money. We had to collect money from other family members of detainees to attend this court hearing,” she added.

Myanmar’s military regime removed the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) from its list of terrorist groups in March of last year, and subsequently released dozens of civilians and ULA/AA members facing prosecution for alleged links to the ethnic armed group. But the Lekka villagers, to date, have not been among those benefiting from the AA no longer being considered a terrorist organisation.