Ousted Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has not been seen since last month’s military coup, was due to face court on March 1 after a deadly weekend crackdown against relentless democracy protests.

Security forces opened fire on unarmed demonstrators in four cities on February 28, with the UN saying it had credible information at least 18 people had died.

One person among a group of protesters crouching behind rubbish bins and other makeshift shields in Yangon, the commercial capital, was shot and had to be dragged away by others, according to video footage filmed by AFP.

UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said: “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters.”

AFP independently confirmed eight deaths in February 28’s violence, although there were fears the toll could be much higher.

Monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimated that about 30 people have been killed by security forces since the coup on February 1.

Suu Kyi, 75, was detained before dawn on that day, and has not been since in public since.

The military has justified its takeover, ending a decade-long democratic experiment, by making allegations of widespread fraud in last November’s national elections that are widely believed to be unfounded.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the election in a landslide.

The generals have hit Suu Kyi with two charges the international community widely regards as frivolous – relating to importing walkie talkies and staging a campaign rally during the pandemic.

Secret detention

Western powers have repeatedly condemned the generals and imposed sanctions, but the military has responded to the growing pressure at home and abroad by escalating its use of force.

Suu Kyi is reported to be being held in Nyapyidaw, the isolated capital city that the military built during a previous dictatorship.

Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said he had not been able to speak to her ahead of March 1’s scheduled court hearing, which is for preliminary matters and where she may appear only via video link.

He said he hoped the court would formally approve his status as her defence lawyer.

“It will be very unfair for her . . . not to grant a lawyer immediately,” he said.

The veteran human rights lawyer said the hearing would focus on case management and the timeline for the trial.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to streets regularly over the past month to oppose the coup.

While the military has steadily increased the type of force used to try to contain the uprising, beginning with tear gas and water cannons, the weekend’s violence was the biggest escalation.