Monday, December 6th, 2021
Surprising turnaround in Myanmar
Junta reduces sentence against Suu Kyi
Shortly after being sentenced to four years in prison, the military junta in Myanmar halved the sentence against the disempowered Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi. Also, she shouldn’t face jail. The reason for this change, like the allegations against the politician, is obscure.
A few hours after the condemned head of government Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, the military junta reduced the sentence for the 76-year-old from four years to two years. State media reported this. In addition, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was allowed to remain under house arrest and did not have to go to prison, it said, citing the military leadership. A court had previously found Suu Kyi guilty on two counts and sentenced him to a total of four years in prison. Specifically, it was about allegations of incitement to riot and violation of corona measures.
The European Union condemned the previously imposed prison sentence as “politically motivated”. The 76-year-old’s imprisonment was a “blatant violation of human rights,” said EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell. He said the ruling against Suu Kyi was another step in the dismantling of the rule of law in Myanmar after the military coup in February. He called on the country to return to the path of democracy.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said Suu Kyi’s conviction after a “sham trial” in a military-controlled court was “purely politically motivated”. Not only is Suu Kyi’s freedom “arbitrarily” restricted, but another door to “political dialogue” is slammed shut. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the verdict was “another appalling attempt by the Myanmar military regime” to suppress the opposition and freedom and democracy. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced the sentence and the repression of other elected government officials as an “affront to democracy and justice”.
President Myint’s sentence also reduced
In February, the junta deposed Suu Kyi as de facto head of government and at the same time ousted President Win Myint. He was also sentenced to four years in prison. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing gave him two years’ imprisonment and, like Suu Kyi, he would serve his sentence under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw, the television quoted from a statement by the junta.
Suu Kyi is threatened with further lawsuits in her home country that could bring her to prison for decades. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate was also accused of corruption, betrayal of secrets and electoral fraud. Overall, she faces decades of imprisonment.
The allegation of incitement to riot related to statements made by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party shortly after the military coup, in which it condemned the takeover of power by the generals. The charge of violating corona requirements is related to the 2020 parliamentary election, in which the NLD won a clear victory.
Junta blocked news before trial
The exact allegations are unclear, however, as the junta put a news blackout in place prior to the trial. Journalists were not admitted to the trial in a special court in the capital, Naypyidaw. Most recently, Suu Kyi’s lawyers were also banned from speaking to journalists.
The military coup ended a brief phase of democratization in Myanmar. The military had justified the takeover of power with alleged fraud in the general election in November 2020. Since then, protests against the junta have raged across the country, killing more than 1,300 people and arresting more than 10,000 in the crackdown.