A court controlled by the military that seized power in Myanmar on Monday sentenced former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison on charges of illegally importing communications equipment.
The new decision comes just over a month after the same court sentenced the deposed leader to another four years in prison for inciting dissent and violating restrictions imposed to contain Covid-19 – the sentence was later reduced to two years. .
Thus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner could spend another six years in prison as a result of the trial that her lawyers, human rights groups and Western leaders denounce as a sham.
The trial, held in Naypyitaw, the country’s capital, took place behind closed doors, with no independent observers. Defense lawyers, who had been the only source of information about the case, are currently the subject of a silence warrant on the grounds that comments could destabilize the country.
Suu Kyi, 76, appeared calm when Monday’s verdict was read, according to sources interviewed anonymously by international news agencies. She is also responsible for nine other alleged crimes, including corruption, electoral fraud and violation of state secrets. If convicted of all of them, she could face over a hundred years in prison.
The civilian leader, whose face was plastered on posters during the wave of demonstrations that took thousands of Myanmar people to the streets against the military regime, has been detained since February 1, 2021, when the Armed Forces deposed her along with other leaders of her party and took over. country command.
Two days after the coup, Suu Kyi received the formal charges for which she was sentenced on Monday. According to the military, a set of walkie-talkie radios and signal jammers were located at the former leader’s house during a search operation. The devices were allegedly imported illegally and used without permission.
Myanmar is experiencing multiple crises, in which at least 1,400 people have been killed and more than 10,000 injured during anti-regime protests, according to the Myanmar Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners. There is also a strong repression of the free press, which further limits the possibility of an independent investigation of events in the country.
Western countries and human rights organizations have repeatedly called for the ex-Myanmar leader’s release. Amnesty International described Monday’s decision as “the final act in the farcical trial against the civilian leader”.
“The Myanmar junta’s court circus of undercover proceedings under false charges is all about piling on more convictions so she stays in prison indefinitely,” said Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights. Rights Watch, in a statement.
For the chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, the sentence against Suu Kyi was a “political verdict”. “She remains the most prominent fighter in the struggle for democracy in Myanmar. The Committee is deeply concerned about her situation,” the Norwegian told AFP.
Despite all the expressions of repudiation, the condemnation was already expected. Allies and supporters say the accusations are unfounded and designed to end his political career — Myanmar law prohibits convicts from running for office — as the military consolidates power.
The daughter of a Myanmar independence hero, the civilian leader, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, had already spent 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010. After her release, she led her party to a landslide victory in 2015. November last year, the National League for Democracy (LND) won the elections again, to the detriment of the party supported by the Armed Forces.
The military, however, alleged fraud in the results — although independent observers found no irregularities — and took power hours before the new legislature took office through the deposition and arrest of Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and several other civilian leaders. .
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