Myanmar’s Nobel-winning leader has been found guilty of fraud in the 2020 general election, threats to election officials and involvement in illegal activities.
A Myanmar court has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in a military coup, to three years in prison after being found guilty of election fraud.
Citing a “source familiar” with the proceedings, Reuters reported that the sentencing came on Friday over allegations of fraud in the 2020 general election, threats to election officials and involvement in illegal activities.
Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won a landslide victory in that election, putting the authority of Myanmar’s military at risk.
Reuters reported that Suu Kyi and her party leader, ousted President Win Myint, were given the same sentence in the case.
Myanmar’s military overthrew the elected government led by Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1 last year. Suu Kyi and her party’s top leaders were then arrested and charged one after another.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Myanmar leader Suu Kyi has been imprisoned ever since. The 76-year-old leader has already been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on several charges including inciting protests against the military junta, violating coronavirus restrictions, illegally using walkie-talkies and accepting bribes.
Suu Kyi is being tried behind closed doors at a special military junta court in Myanmar’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw. The media is not being briefed on the trial and Suu Kyi’s lawyers are not being allowed to interact with the media and the public.
The international community called Suu Kyi’s trial a ‘farce’. On the other hand, the military junta says that the NLD leader is being tried “in an independent court in due process”.
Suu Kyi was under house arrest for many years until 2010 for her opposition to military rule. After his release that year, the National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in the 2015 elections.
His party won again in the November 2020 elections. A few weeks later, the military seized power after accusing the election of rigging.
The Election Commission rejected the military’s complaint. Later, independent observers also said that the army did not find any evidence of the allegations.
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