A military-run court in Myanmar has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in prison on Wednesday after finding her guilty in the first of 11 corruption cases she faces, a source familiar with the case said.
The Nobel laureate and participant in Myanmar’s opposition to military rule has been charged with at least 18 crimes with combined maximum sentences of nearly 190 years, nearly killing the chances of a political return.
Sofia Judge Naypido handed down the verdict shortly after the court was convened and did not give an explanation, said the source, who declined to be identified because the trial is being held behind closed doors, with limited information.
Suu Kyi, who attended all of the hearings, is unhappy with the outcome and will appeal, the source said.
Released in February 2021
The 76-year-old led Myanmar for five years, during a brief period of shaky democracy, before being forced to be ousted by a coup in February 2021 by the military that ruled the former British colony for five years. the last six decades.
It was not immediately clear whether Suu Kyi would be transferred to prison to serve her sentence.
After her arrest, she was held in an undisclosed location, where junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said earlier he could stay after sentencing in December and January for relatively minor crimes leading to a six-year term.
Military government spokesman Zau Min Tung could not be reached for comment and did not mention Su Zhi’s decision on Wednesday during a televised press conference that lasted more than three hours.
The latest case focused on allegations that Suu Kyi accepted 11.4 kilograms of gold and cash payments totaling $ 600,000 from her protégé, who became a prosecutor, Fio Min Thain, a former Yangon city minister.
Suu Kyi called the allegations “absurd” and denied all charges against her, including violations of election laws and laws on state secrets, incitement and corruption.
Kangaroo Court
Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Suu Kyi’s days as a single woman were virtually over.
“Myanmar’s junta and the country’s kangaroo courts are taking steps to remove Aung San Suu Kyi for something that could ultimately be the equivalent of a life sentence, given her advanced age,” he said.
“The destruction of Myanmar’s people’s democracy also means getting rid of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta leaves nothing to chance.”
Myanmar is in turmoil after the coup, with the military using deadly force to quell national protests and public anger. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and many killed, tortured and beaten in what the United Nations has called crimes against humanity.
The international community has imposed sanctions on the military and dismissed the lawsuits against Suu Kyi as farcical. The Myanmar embassies of the United Kingdom and the United States did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The military said Suu Kyi had committed crimes and was subjected to due process by an independent judiciary, dismissing foreign criticism as interference.
Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, left, who is now the leader of the country’s military government, is seen shaking hands with Aung San Suu Kyi in December 2015. (Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)
The junta has refused to allow her visits, including to a special envoy in Southeast Asia who is trying to end the crisis.
On Twitter, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifudin Abdullah said he was deeply concerned about the verdict, insisting that “fundamental principles of human rights and justice must be ensured.”
Nei Telephone Lat, a former employee of Su Zhi’s ousted ruling party, said the court rulings were temporary because military rule would not last long.
“We do not recognize the decisions, legislation or judiciary of the terrorist junta,” said Nai Telephone Lat, who belongs to the shadow national government, which has declared a popular uprising against military rule.
“I don’t care how long they want to be sentenced, whether it’s one year, two years or whatever. They won’t go on.”
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