Court trial of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi in final stage

Yangon:

A junta court will hear final arguments next week in the 18-month-long trial of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, a legal source said Tuesday, before reaching its final verdict against the Nobel laureate.

Suu Kyi has been a prisoner since her government was toppled by the military in February 2021, ending a brief period of democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

He has been convicted on 14 charges, ranging from corruption to illegally possessing walkie-talkies and violating Covid restrictions.

The junta court will hear “final arguments” from both sides on the five remaining corruption charges on December 26, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

“The verdict will be announced after that stage,” the source said. The date has not yet been decided.

The source said Suu Kyi, 77, appeared to be in good health.

Each corruption charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Journalists are barred from attending court hearings and Suu Kyi’s lawyers are prohibited from speaking to the media.

In June, he was transferred from house arrest to a prison complex in military-built Naypyidaw, where his trial in a special court continues.

The military alleged widespread voter fraud during the November 2020 election, won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party in a landslide victory, though international observers said the voting was largely free and fair.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup, with more than 2,500 people killed in an army crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.

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