Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi taken to prison

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Aung San Suu Kyi (archive)

Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP

The situation for Myanmar's ousted ex-Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi is becoming increasingly serious: the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been taken to a prison in the capital Naypyidaw, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun announced on Thursday.

The 77-year-old is said to be in solitary confinement there.

Suu Kyi was arrested and placed under house arrest during the February 2021 military coup.

Myanmar's civil disobedience movement tweeted on Thursday that the junta's behavior was "vindictive and shameful."

A spokesman for the shadow government (Government of National Unity, NUG) tweeted that they were very concerned about Suu Kyi's transfer to solitary confinement.

"Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar must be released," it said.

The prominent politician has had to answer in court for numerous alleged offenses for months.

Among other things, she is confronted with almost a dozen corruption lawsuits.

The politician faces up to 15 years in prison for each charge.

Court hearings are closed to the public

In April, a first verdict was made because of corruption: a court had sentenced Suu Kyi to five years in prison.

However, it was not clear for a long time whether she really had to go to prison.

She herself had denied the accusation of accepting gold and a $600,000 (560,000 euro) bribe from a politician.

She had previously been sentenced to six years in prison for minor offenses in another trial.

The court dates are closed to the public.

Suu Kyi's lawyers are not allowed to communicate with the media.

Human rights activists speak of a show trial.

Suu Kyi had previously been under house arrest for a total of 15 years.

Almost 20 years ago, she was held briefly in Insein Prison, notorious for its torture methods, in the largest city of Yangon.

She has been the de facto head of government since 2016 and the former Burma on the path to timid democratic reforms.

In the parliamentary elections in November 2020, she secured a second term with a clear lead.

Observers believe that it had become too dangerous for the generals who had ruled what was formerly Burma with an iron fist for decades, and who therefore staged a coup in early 2021.

The junta, on the other hand, justified the overthrow with alleged electoral fraud - but no evidence was presented.

The country has been engulfed in chaos and violence for almost a year and a half.

dop/dpa