In Myanmar, a junta-controlled court sentenced the de facto deposed prime minister, Aung San Suu Kyi, to a further six years in prison on four corruption charges. This was reported on Monday, August 15, by the Myanmar Now news portal, citing informed sources.

According to them, Suu Kyi, 77, was found guilty of misappropriating funds from a charitable foundation she created and named after her mother, Do Khin Kyi. The former premier was accused of the fact that funds from an organization intended to finance the health and education sectors were allegedly spent on building a house and leasing state land at a preferential rate. Aung San Suu Kyi denies her guilt.

The trial was held behind closed doors, without the participation of the public and media representatives. Suu Kyi’s lawyers were prohibited from disclosing any details of this lawsuit.

In previous trials, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to 11 years on charges ranging from sedition to violating pandemic restrictions. If found guilty in all cases, she would face life imprisonment.

Military coup in Myanmar

A military coup took place in Myanmar in February 2021. The generals justified the coup on alleged irregularities in the 2020 elections, which resulted in Aung San Suu Kyi’s landslide victory. The military did not provide evidence of these violations. After the coup, Myanmar plunges deeper and deeper into chaos and violence.

Human rights activists say Suu Kyi was the victim of a show trial. According to experts, the military junta intends to permanently silence the politician, who has spent many years under house arrest in the past. In June 2022, Suu Kyi was transferred from house arrest to solitary confinement in Naypyidaw, the country’s capital.