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A Myanmar court controlled by the country’s military junta sentenced leader Aung San Suu Kyi to another three years in prison on Thursday, September 29. The same sentence was imposed on her economic adviser, Australian Sean Turnell, for allegedly breaking the official secrets law. The deposed leader has a 20-year sentence for other accusations since the Army took power in the 2021 coup.
Violate official secrets law. It is the new justification added to the long list of sentences that aim to keep the ousted leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, in prison for decades.
A court, controlled by the Army that seized power in the coup on February 1, 2021, sentenced Suu Kyi to another three years in prison.
In addition to the political leader, her economic adviser, the Australian Sean Turnell, and three other members of her cabinet – Soe Win and Kyaw Win, both former Ministers of Planning and Finance, and Set Aung, former Vice Minister of the same ministry – were found guilty of the same case.
“Three years for each one, without forced labor,” confirmed a source familiar with the process, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals.
The five defendants were singled out on the basis of documents seized from Turnell. The exact details of the alleged crime have not been made public. However, state television reported last year that the Australian citizen had access to “secret state financial information” and that he had attempted to flee the country.
Myanmar’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act makes it a crime to possess, collect, record, publish, or share state information that is “directly or indirectly useful to an enemy.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The trial, like the others involving Suu Kyi, was held in a specially designated prison courtroom and was closed to the media and the public. Defense attorneys were prohibited, by gag order, from disclosing details of the proceedings.
The defendants reject the accusations and their lawyers are expected to file appeals in this case in the coming days.
Australia asks for the deportation of Sean Turnell
Sean Turnell was also convicted of violating immigration law, for which he was given another three-year sentence, to be served simultaneously. For now, he has been detained for 20 months.
His wife, Ha Vu, also an economist, pointed out that Turnell has already served two-thirds of his sentence and asked that he be transferred to his country.
“Please consider the contributions he has made to Myanmar and deport him now! (…) It is heartbreaking for me, our daughter, Sean’s 85-year-old father and the rest of our family to hear that my husband, Professor Sean Turnell was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison. Sean has been one of Myanmar’s biggest supporters for over 20 years and has worked tirelessly to strengthen Myanmar’s economy,” Ha Vu said in a Facebook post.
Sean Turnell, an economic adviser to Myanmar’s imprisoned civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was convicted alongside her of violating an official secrets act and sentenced to three years in prison by the junta. https://t.co/34AVYgLLTZ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 29, 2022
The office of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also rejected the ruling and called for the immediate release of her citizen.
After denouncing that he had been “wrongly detained”, his office indicated that the Australian diplomats were denied access to the court hearing for the verdict.
“We will continue to take every opportunity to advocate vigorously for Professor Turnell until he returns to his family in Australia,” the portfolio said in a statement.
The Australian government has repeatedly demanded Turnell’s release. Last year, it suspended its defense cooperation with Myanmar and began redirecting humanitarian aid due to the military takeover and ongoing arrest of Turnell.
Aung San Suu Kyi adds sentences of at least 20 years in prison
Until last September 2, the confirmed opinions against the Nobel Peace Prize laureate amounted to 20 years in prison.
And the Burmese authorities aim to further prolong his time under arrest.
The 77-year-old woman is still being tried on at least seven counts under the country’s anti-corruption law, each carrying up to 15 years in prison and a fine.
Different governments and human rights organizations point out that the trials against Suu Kyi are aimed at preventing her from getting involved in politics again and challenging the control of the power of the armed forces.
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi.#AFPGraphics factfile on Myanmar’s detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been sentenced to a further 3 years in jail, adding to the 20 years she had accumulated for various charges pic.twitter.com/wyFA5eOks0
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 29, 2022
According to the Political Prisoners Assistance Association, an organization that watches over human rights, 15,683 people have been detained for political charges in Burmese territory since the Army took power.
Of these, 12,540 are still detained. At least 2,324 civilians have been killed by security forces in the same period, the group says, although the number is believed to be much higher.
Myanmar has been mired in crisis since the coup, which led to protests across the country, which were suppressed with deadly force by the military government. This triggered an armed resistance that some UN experts describe as a civil war.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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