Aung San Suu Kyi has been in prison for five years after being found guilty of corruption by a military-controlled court in Myanmar, the latest in a series of widely criticized lawsuits that could lead to her spending the rest of her life you are in custody.
The 76-year-old former Myanmar leader has been detained after a military coup in February plunged the country into a political crisis and escalating conflict. She has since been charged with at least 18 crimes ranging from electoral fraud to breach of professional secrecy.
The case on Wednesday focused on allegations that it accepted 11.4kg of gold and cash payments totaling $ 600,000 from former Yangon chief minister Fio Min Thain.
Her legal team dismissed the allegations as absurd, while human rights groups described them as a clear attempt to remove Aung San Suu Kyi as a political threat.
It is unknown where she was detained. She has not been seen in public since the coup, and the trials are being held in a closed court, and her legal representatives have been barred from speaking to the media.
Last month, the independent media Myanmar Now reported on a rare message from the ousted leader, transmitted through an anonymous source, in which she told the public to remain united.
The source told the publication: “Today she said that everyone should remain united and lead discussions on different views. If they still can’t start dialogues now, she said wait patiently until that’s possible.
She faces 10 more corruption charges.
The junta continues to face widespread opposition, including peaceful protest movements and armed resistance. More than 10,300 people are currently being held, according to estimates by the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners in Burma, an advocacy group that monitors arrests and killings.
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