A Myanmar-led military tribunal has sentenced and sentenced five years in prison to former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, on Wednesday, in addition to six years since December.The charges, which began last year, range from minor offenses to serious offenses and penalties up to 15 years in prison. Suu Kyi denies doing anything wrong.
Suu Kyi was convicted in December and January of those charges, as well as incitement, after her party sent a letter – while in custody – urging ambassadors not to see the soldiers.
Wednesday’s decision has been the most critical so far, the first of 11 cases of corruption, each serving up to 15 years in prison. He was found guilty of accepting 11.4 kg (402 oz) of gold and $ 600,000 from his former member, Phyo Min Thein, a former Yangon city minister, which he said was baseless.
Suu Kyi also faces charges of embezzling funds from a charitable organization, and is accused of leasing state-owned land at discounted rates and of misappropriating state-owned aircraft during his presidency. The winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Award was also charged with felony criminal mischief for firing on a sculpture with a criminal charge before the November 2020 election.
Human rights groups have called it a kangaroo court and Western governments and experts at the United Nations have called her a false accusation and want her released. The judge said he had been given the proper procedure by an independent judge, noting that the judge had been appointed by his superiors. The junta strictly controls the information and it is not clear how, and to what extent, it receives a fair trial. Procedures are conducted outside closed doors and the gag order prevents his legal team from discussing progress.
Although not incarcerated, he is kept in an undisclosed location and denied access to visitors or means of contact with the outside world. His lawyers cannot reach him out of court. Suu Kyi’s trial was intense and there were concerns about the impact on her health due to her age. The court deals with different cases on different days, sometimes two in one day, most of which have been postponed due to the absence of prosecution witnesses.
Political analysts and experts view these trials
Many Myanmar political analysts and experts view these trials as an attempt to bind Suu Kyi for years in legal proceedings and dispel any hope that she will return and challenge Junta. For decades Suu Kyi has been a symbol of Myanmar’s struggle for military supremacy and is undoubtedly the only person and group of Southeast Asian nations to have been able to unite in the background.
The military has a lot to gain by putting him aside while consolidating power and crushing many of his opponents before the promised election in 2023, as well as a return to a potential democracy.On Wednesday, officials said nothing about Suu Kyi’s sentencing during a nearly four-hour television news conference, with a state television newsreader briefly commenting on the decision at the end of her night news report.
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