Myanmar: On Monday, Myanmar’s court sentenced the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi to 6 more years in prison, on top of the existing 11 years, on charges of corruption.
Multiple news agencies have reported that the leader denied all allegations of possible criminal activities and her lawyers are expected to appeal after the court sentenced her.
As per reports, the trial was held in a hush-hush manner, without the presence of the press or media. Moreover, her lawyers were forbidden by a gag order from revealing sensitive information.
On February 1, 2021, a coup d’etat originated in Myanmar when democratically-elected members of the country’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the military.
The 77-year Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and her close aides including ministers and members of parliament were apprehended and detained. Since then, Suu Kyi has been in custody, placed under house arrest and state surveillance, and facing multiple charges.
The recent charges placed against her claim that Suu Kyu abused her position of authority to rent public land at below market prices in the four corrupted cases decided on Monday.
The charges also suggest that she misused donation funds to construct a personal residence.
She received three sentences of three years for each of the four counts, but the sentences for three of them will be served concurrently, which adds up to a total of 6 years in prison.
This is on top of the existing 11 years that she already has in her name, on charges of sedition, corruption and other charges at earlier trials.
Analysts say the numerous charges against her and her close aides are simply the military government’s attempts to eliminate her from the arena of politics and legitimise the military’s seizure of power before the country holds its election next year.
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