Wed 12 October 2022:
A court in the military-ruled country of Myanmar has sentenced Nobel laureate and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a further three years in prison, bringing her total time behind bars to 26 years.
The 77-year-old was accused of accepting bribes; on Wednesday, a court found her responsible for two counts of corruption and sentenced her to three years in prison on each count.
It is the latest in a string of convictions Suu Kyi has faced since being ousted in a military coup in February 2021.
With Wednesday’s court ruling, the 77-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner’s prison term has been extended to a total of 26 years for corruption, incitement, breaching Covid-19 rules, electoral fraud and violating the official secrets act.
Suu Kyi has been in solitary confinement at a prison in the capital Naypyidaw since June after being placed under house arrest in the wake of the military coup.
The proceedings took place behind closed doors and Suu Kyi’s lawyers are not allowed to speak to the media.
The cases have been widely denounced as military-staged show trials intended to discredit previous civilian leaders and bolster the junta’s own standing.
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the coup on February 1, 2021. The military has violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests and civil society groups as it seeks to quash armed resistance by anti-junta militias across the country.
More than one million people have been displaced since the coup in February 2021, according to the United Nations, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 15,000 jailed, according to monitors.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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