Myanmar's Court Of Justice AGAIN The Verdict Of Aung San Suu Kyi: This Time Five Allegations Of Corruption, An Increased Sentence Of 7 Years

Aung San Suu Kyi. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - The military-controlled Myanmar court sentenced the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five counts of corruption on Friday, imposing a seven-year sentence, a source of information said, ending an internationally condemned trial marathon as false.

In a closed court hearing, Suu Kyi, who was arrested during the coup in February 2021, was found guilty of offenses related to the lease and use of helicopter helicopters while leader of Myanmar's de facto, sources familiar with it said. experiment.

Nobel Peace Prize winner for a decades-long campaign for democracy in Myanmar, Suu Kyi has spent most of her political life in detention under military rule.

Friday's verdict adds to the minimum sentence of 26 years imposed since December last year. Sources who could not be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue said Suu Kyi was in good health.

Suu Kyi has led Myanmar for five years since 2015, for a decade of tentative democracy that came after the military ended her 49-year government, just to retake control early last year to stop her government from starting a second term, accusing her of ignoring irregularities in elections her party won.

Western countries have rejected the trial as a hoax designed to keep away the junta's biggest threat, amid widespread domestic resistance to its rule.

The UN Security Council last week issued a resolution calling for the junta to end hostilities and release all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Separately, Human Rights Watch urged a stronger international response and more effective sanctions, to beat the junta and said the court had effectively imposed a life sentence given Suu Kyi's age.

"The accusations and verdicts of Myanmar's ridiculous and truly unfair junta against Aung San Suu Kyi, are the same as political-motivated penalties designed to keep her behind bars for the rest of her life," said deputy Asia director of the institution Phil Robertson.

"Junti clearly hopes the international community will miss this news, and there will be little global publicity about the final results of the military campaign that are openly unfair to Suu Kyi," he continued.

A junta spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The military insists that the trial is valid and that Suu Kyi, who has been detained in additional prisons in the capital Naypyitaw, has undergone legal proceedings by an independent court.

Since December last year, he has been convicted of violating COVID-19 restrictions while campaigning, illegally possessing radio equipment, inciting, violating state secrets laws and trying to influence the country's election commission.

Suu Kyi thought it was "absurd". In addition, it is not clear where he will serve his sentence once the trial is over.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's shadowed National Unity Government (NUG), the broad alliance of anti-junta groups, said judges in the "convict" made decisions without evidence and based on lies.

"We demand immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi... and all political prisoners," said his spokesman Kyaw Zaw.