UPDATED at 2:17 P.M. EDT on 2022-09-02
Naypyidaw Jail Court docket has sentenced Myanmar’s former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to an extra three years in jail on a cost of election fraud, sources near the court docket advised RFA.
Friday’s ruling comes on high of 17 years of sentences for 10 earlier circumstances.
“The earlier circumstances had been ordered with out onerous labor. This sentence was imprisonment with onerous labor along with the utmost punishment. I’ve realized that the legal professionals will proceed to enchantment,” a supply near the court docket mentioned.
The case was introduced on the grounds that Suu Kyi used undue affect on the Union Election Fee (UEC) beneath Part 130 (a) of the Penal Code. The identical cost was introduced in opposition to former President Win Myint and former Union Cupboard Workplace Minister Min Thu, who additionally obtained three-year sentences.
Kyaw Htwe, a member of the Nationwide League for Democracy (NLD) Central Working Committee, mentioned that Suu Kyi and the NLD-led authorities leaders didn’t use any undue affect relating to the election, and the UEC, which was accountable for the 2020 election, acted in accordance with authorized procedures.
Suu Kyi testified at her trial on July 15 that she didn’t use improper affect on the Election Fee relating to the 2020 election and acted in accordance with the legislation.
The 2020 election was free and truthful despite the fact that it had just a few weaknesses, based on home and worldwide election monitoring teams.
Nevertheless, the army seized energy on February 1, 2021 with the pretext that the election was rigged.
A complete of 505 folks, together with Suu Kyi, Win Myint, NLD-led authorities members and people accountable for the 2020 Election Fee, have been charged with election fraud, the army council’s new election fee mentioned at a press convention in Naypyidaw on August 17.
Mandalay Area Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung was sentenced to a few years in jail beneath Part 130 (a) of the Penal Code.
Kayin State Chief Minister Nan Khin Htwe Myint was sentenced to a few years in jail and Mon State Chief Minister Aye Zan was sentenced to 2 years in jail by the army council’s courts.
Hla Thein, chairman of the Election Fee, together with Than Htay and Myint Naing, who had been members of the UEC through the NLD-led Authorities, had been all sentenced to a few years in jail beneath Part 130 (a) of the Penal Code.
Aung San Suu Kyi was charged with 19 circumstances after the army coup and is at the moment serving 20 years in jail for 11 circumstances.
On June 22, Suu Kyi, 77, was transferred to solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Jail. She nonetheless faces trials for an additional eight circumstances within the jail court docket.
‘Trumped-up costs’
On Friday, Myanmar political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe advised RFA that by accusing Aung San Suu Kyi and her political get together of assorted felony offense, it’s making an attempt to cease the rising affect of the previous chief and the NLD.
“This appears to be a response to the NLD get together which had been attempting to scale back and erase the position of the army [in Burmese politics],” he mentioned.
“The junta would possibly assume that by sentencing Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyi, her public picture shall be broken, and her public assist shall be misplaced over time, Sai Kyi Soe mentioned.
However the political analysts additionally urged that as has occurred up to now, the junta could also be organising a scenario in order that Aung san Suu Kyi could be pardoned sooner or later, and the army regime would take credit score for it.
Chandanie Watawala, govt director of the Asian Community for Free Elections, mentioned her group, often called ANFREL, strongly condemned the junta’s newest conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi on election fraud costs.
“They have no proper to do this,” she mentioned. “They repeatedly attempt to repress democracy by means of the political events, the leaderships, civil society, and regular civilians.
Additionally on Friday, former U.Ok. Ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman and her Burmese husband, Htein Lin, had been sentenced to 1 12 months in jail every on immigration violation costs, which activists mentioned had been concocted by the junta.
Authorities arrested Bowman, who served as ambassador from 2002-2006, and her husband, an artist and former political prisoner, on Aug. 25 for allegedly violating immigration legal guidelines and jailed them in Yangon’s infamous Insein Jail.
The arrests got here after the U.Ok. introduced a brand new spherical of sanctions in opposition to Myanmar’s brutal army junta.
Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty Worldwide’s deputy regional director for campaigns, mentioned the sentencing of the pair was “extraordinarily regarding.”
“Myanmar’s army has a infamous observe document of arresting and jailing folks on politically motivated or trumped-up costs,” she mentioned in a press release.
“Greater than 15,000 folks have been arrested because the army seized energy in a coup final 12 months, and lots of are languishing in an enormous community of detention and interrogation services the place they’ve confronted torture or different ill-treatment.”
The story was up to date to incorporate feedback by Sai Kyi Zin Soe, Chandanie Watawala and Ming Yu Hah, and the sentencing of Vicky Bowman and her husband.
