EA court in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw has sentenced the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi to six more years in prison. Agencies and regional media unanimously reported that the 77-year-old politician was found guilty of four counts of corruption on Monday. Having previously been sentenced to 11 years in prison, she is expected to serve at least 17 years in prison.
Suu Kyi was previously under house arrest under the military regime for fifteen years. According to the local press, nine other charges are currently pending, which could lead to additional long prison sentences. Human rights activists doubt the legality of the allegations and the procedure and see political motives behind the convictions.
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Until the military coup on February 1, 2021, the Nobel Peace Prize winner led the civilian government of the Southeast Asian country as a state councillor. The military accused its National League for Democracy (NLD) of using unfair means to gain a clear majority in the November 2020 parliamentary elections. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the coup. She has reportedly been held in a detention center in the capital since July.
Convictions against them had already been passed in December, January and April. Among other things, it was about violations of Corona requirements, the “illegal” possession of handheld radios and the allegation of incitement. She was also accused of misusing her political office for personal gain. She is said to have received half a million euros and more than eleven kilograms of gold from the former Chief Minister of Yangon.
In the most recent trial, Suu Kyi was accused of abusing her position in favor of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, named after her mother. They got land at discounted prices in Naypyidaw and Yangon. The news portal “Myanmar Now” reported that the state lost several million euros as a result. As a result, Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years in prison for each of these deals. The maximum sentence for corruption in Myanmar is 15 years. According to the report, Suu Kyi had declared himself innocent on all counts.
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