Insein doctor informs court that he is too busy to attend latest Eleven Media trial hearing

Earlier this month, a judge denied bail to Eleven Media CEO Than Htut Aung and chief editor Wai Phyo despite their lawyers’ pleas that Than Htut Aung’s health had been deteriorating and that he needed urgent medical care. At yesterday’s case hearing, he had to be wheeled into the Tamwe Township Court on a wheelchair.

However, it was ruled that the medical paperwork they provided couldn’t be accepted because it came from a private hospital.

Instead, at the case’s last hearing on December 9, the judge summoned the Insein Prison’s doctor to the next hearing, which took place yesterday. Well, to the defendants’ dismay, the doctor failed to appear in court.

“The doctor was supposed to be questioned today. The court sent him a summons, but the prison sent a letter back. They said that they had sick prisoners in the tens of thousands and that their doctors were all extremely busy, and they asked that he be excused from attending the hearing,” the defendants’ lawyer Kyee Myint told 7Day.

Unfortunately for Than Htut Aung and Wai Phyo, this setback will delay the status of their bail application even further.

If they are found guilty of the charges that they are facing under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, they could face up to three years in prison.

It should be noted that the doctor did offer to answer questions from the court and the legal teams via letter. Only in Myanmar, eh?

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