A court in Naypyitaw on Friday denied a request for bail by National League for Democracy (NLD) party stalwart Win Htein, who is suffering several problems with his health.
The Dekkhina District Court judge said at the hearing, held via video call, that bail was denied because Win Htein got his medical prescriptions from a private hospital, not a health ministry one, according to his lawyer Min Min Soe.
Win Htein faces up to 20 years in prison for sedition under section 124a of the Penal Code.
The 79-year-old uses a wheelchair and suffers from breathing problems that mean he often requires an oxygen tank. He also suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Win Htein “didn’t seem cheerful and fresh like he used to” during the video call, Min Min Soe said.
The NLD’s legal team has requested at previous hearings that the judge allow an open court and let lawyers meet Win Htein in person.
Min Min Soe said the court has let the police decide whether the lawyers should be allowed to meet Win Htein in person, in accordance with prison and police procedures.
The request for an open court was rejected on the grounds that it would hinder efforts to curb Covid-19 infections, and the judge said that the court could easily hear testimonies via video call.
The next hearing for Win Htein is scheduled for April 23, when the court will hear from the plaintiff, Aye Lu, who is the chair of the Ottara district administration council in Naypyitaw.
Ottara district is where the NLD’s temporary headquarters are located.
Aye Lu filed the charge on February 4 and Win Htein was arrested that evening at his home in Yangon. He has been kept in the Naypyitaw detention center and denied visits from his lawyers.
He was detained after giving media interviews in the wake of the February 1 coup in which he said military chief Min Aung Hlaing had acted on personal ambition when seizing power.
