Burma riot police have ringed a notorious prison where pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to go on trial for allegedly harbouring a US man who swam to her home.
It comes as activist groups called for protest rallies in front of the Insein prison until Ms Suu Kyi is freed.
On the eve of the trial, her defence lawyer said she was innocent of the charges, which could put her into prison for up to five years.
"We call all political forces for Free Aung San Suu Kyi to mobilise all over Burma, by holding praying sessions in homes, places of worship and holding silent, peaceful rallies in front of Insein prison," said a statement from three activist groups.
These included an organisation of Buddhist monks, who were at the forefront of the 2007 protests, which were brutally crushed by the regime.
Security forces blocked all roads leading to the prison as several hundred riot police, many armed with guns, batons and shields, guarded the perimeter of Insein, where the regime has for years incarcerated political prisoners.
"After listening to the sequence of events, it is very clear that there is no breach of conditions of her restrictions," lawyer Kyi Win said after visiting the Noble Peace Prize laureate in the prison.
Ms Suu Kyi, 63, has been charged with violating the terms of her detention by sheltering John William Yettaw, reportedly a Vietnam War veteran, who will also be tried along with two female assistants who have been with Ms Suu Kyi since 2003.
Ms Suu Kyi had been scheduled to be freed on May 27 after six consecutive years of house arrest. The charges are widely seen as a pretext for the ruling junta to keep her detained past elections it has scheduled for next year.
Kyi Win said Ms Suu Kyi's defence team will ask for an open trial and may also request bail. The prosecution is expected to call 22 witnesses during the trial.
