Enlarge image
Aung San Suu Kyi in 2019
Photo: Peter Dejong/AP
She protested her innocence, but in the closed trial, Myanmar's former head of government, Aung San Suu Kyi, was once again at the mercy of the country's judiciary, which was once again controlled by the military government: a court sentenced the 77-year-old to a further six years in prison for alleged corruption offences .
As the AP news agency reports, Suu Kyi had previously been sentenced to eleven years in prison.
The previous trials were also considered politically motivated.
In the four cases now before the court, the politician was accused, among other things, of having used her former position as head of government to rent public land below market prices and to have built a residence there with donations.
Suu Kyi had denied the allegations.
According to the AP, their lawyers will appeal the new verdicts.
The trial had again taken place behind closed doors to the public and the media.
Suu Kyi's lawyers were also not allowed to provide information about the proceedings because of a speech ban.
According to experts, the junta in Myanmar is trying to legitimize its rule through the trials of Suu Kyi and her allegedly corrupt government.
In addition, the prison sentences are intended to prevent Suu Kyi from ever being able to gain a foothold in politics again.
Human Rights Watch sees "massive attack" on Suu Kyi's rights
The Nobel Prize winner had also gained international fame as a democracy activist and freedom fighter against the former military government.
During Suu Kyi's five-year tenure as head of government, the country took the first steps towards democratic change after decades of military rule.
The role of the military remained strong, however, and repression continued.
Suu Kyi was arrested during the coup on February 1, 2021.
She is in solitary confinement in the capital, Naypyidaw, according to Reuters news agency.
The deputy Asia director of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, spoke of a "massive attack on her rights" with regard to the recent verdict against Suu Kyi.
According to Reuters, since the military took power, tens of thousands of people in the country of around 53 million people have been imprisoned, and many have also been tortured.
The United Nations sees the action as a crime against humanity.
The West has imposed sanctions on the regime.
fek/Reuters/AP