Burmese court sentences Suu Kyi to another four years in prison

The ousted Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced this Monday to four years in prison, in addition to another two that she is already serving, as a result of the legal proceedings brought against her after the military coup in February.

The Nobel Peace Prize, who is also subject to other charges that are still being settled, was found guilty today for the illegal importation of telecommunications devices and for violating the laws implemented against the pandemic, they informed Efe sources close to the case.

In two different processes, the panel of judges of the special court authorized by the military junta in Naipyidó found that Suu Kyi violated the Export and Import Law and the telecommunications law for the possession without a license of several walkie-talkies and a jammer of signals .

In this case, the judges decided to sentence the accused to 2 and 1 year in prison, respectively, although the sentences will be served simultaneously, so she will only serve two years in prison.

Suu Kyi was also sentenced today to another 2 years in prison for skipping during an electoral act for the November 2020 elections the measures against the spread of covid-19.

The two sentences are in addition to two others issued at the beginning of December, which also added four years in prison although they were later reduced to two by a pardon from the military junta, for another crime of violating the restrictions against covid-19 and for the incitement crime against the military.

Pending causes

Suu Kyi, 76, still faces numerous trials launched after being overthrown during the military coup on February 1.

The politician, who has been detained from the first hours of the military takeover and is serving a sentence in an unknown place, must still face an accusation in Naipyidó for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Law, with a maximum of 14 years in jail, for obtaining, storing and sharing documents with classified information.

And six other counts of corruption, punishable by up to 15 years each, for a series of accusations such as the alleged fraudulent use of funds from a charitable foundation that she presided over, obtaining discounts on the lease of land or accepting bribes of 600,000 dollars. and 11.4 kilos of gold.

Suu Kyi, hostage to the military

Suu Kyi’s lawyers indicated at the beginning of the legal proceedings that their client denies all the accusations, while since October the military junta imposed a ban on the lawyers from speaking to the media.

For his part, the deputy director for Asia of the NGO Human Right Watch, Phil Robertson, believes that Suu Kyi “is a hostage of the military”, while they try to control the country through “intimidation and violence.”

“The military junta still sees (Suu Kyi) as a great political threat that needs to be permanently neutralized,” said Robertson in a statement calling the charges against the leader tried by a “court related” to the military absurd.

“Fortunately for her and for the future of Burma, the Burmese popular movement has grown far beyond the leadership of a woman and a political party,” says the activist.

Cambodia’s approach to the junta

These latest sentences against Suu Kyi come two days after Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to Burma (Myanmar), in the first official trip by a political leader to the country since the coup.

Hun Sen, whose country presides over the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, is trying to distance himself from other regional political leaders critical of the Burmese military and has been more understanding of coup General Min Aung Hlaing, with whom he met on Friday.

However, during the two-day official trip, the Khmer leader did not meet with Suu Kyi or with members of the opposition.

The Cambodian leader wants Min Aung Hlaing and representatives of the Burmese military junta to participate in the meetings of this edition of ASEAN after the veto of the coup general at the October leaders’ summit, organized by Brunei.

The coup has plunged Burma into a deep political, social and economic crisis, and opened a spiral of violence with new civilian militias that have exacerbated the guerrilla war that the country has been experiencing for decades.

At least 1,447 people have died as a result of the brutal repression exercised by police and soldiers since the coup, who have shot to kill peaceful protesters, according to the daily reports of the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, which also figures at more than 11,400 opponents arrested, including Suu Kyi. (I)