Myanmar’s military-led government sentenced former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to another five years in prison on Wednesday for corruption, the latest legal punishment meted out to her since the junta took over the government a year ago.
Prosecutors claim Suu Kyi was sentenced for accepting bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, including gold. The charges have been categorically denied by the ousted former leader, and some independent legal experts believe they are a ruse designed to legitimize the February 2021 military coup that installed the junta government.
Since her detention, the military has tried and convicted Suu Kyi on a variety of charges, including illegally possessing walkie-talkies and violating COVID-19 restrictions. Aside from Wednesday’s punishment, she’d already received a six-year prison sentence.
Suu Kyi faces life in prison if convicted of the various crimes for which she has been charged, which range from violating the Official Secrets Act to election fraud.
Former Yangon official Phyo Min Thein claimed that Suu Kyi accepted gold bars and cash payments from him in exchange for business favors, which led to the new five-year sentence.
Suu Kyi’s defense team said it plans to appeal the conviction and the sentence.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Suu Kyi is one of more than 10,300 people currently detained.
Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained by the military for 14 months since the junta-led coup in November 2020, which was based on allegations of electoral fraud and kept her and a slew of other civilian leaders in power.
The military-led country has since been in a state of economic and political instability, with thousands of civilians dying as a result of the coup. Suu Kyi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been rarely seen in public since the military coup, and some suggest she is in ill condition.
In April, US lawmakers passed legislation expanding sanctions against Myanmar’s military junta for the coup and targeting protesters.
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