SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 27 April 2024, Saturday |

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to go on trial for election fraud Feb. 14 -source

According to a source familiar with the proceedings, a court in army-ruled Myanmar will begin an election fraud trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 14, after she was accused of influencing the 2020 poll to win a second term in government.

Suu Kyi is on trial in over a dozen crimes and has been sentenced to a total of six years in jail by a court in the capital, Naypyitaw, in judicial processes that the world community has labeled a fraud.

She has refuted the military’s allegations of vote rigging in a 2020 election won by her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Suu Kyi, 76, is accused of attempting to influence the electoral commission during the voting process. Former president and ally Win Myint, as well as former cabinet member Min Thu, face the same allegations, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

If proven guilty, the trio faces up to three years in prison and a fine under Section 130-A of the criminal code. It joins a flurry of other cases against Suu Kyi, which carry total potential jail sentences of more than a century.

A junta representative did not respond to a request for comment. Suu Kyi will be given due process by an impartial tribunal, according to the military authorities.

The military said it took control because the election commission was ignoring its concerns of fraud by the NLD, which won the 2020 election by a landslide. According to the NLD, it was a fair victory.

Suu Kyi was detained only hours before the February 1 coup, and critics of the government claim the allegations against her are aimed to guarantee she never returns to politics.

The trials are taking place behind closed doors, and defense lawyers, who were formerly the only source of information on the proceedings, are now subject to a gag order.

    Source:
  • Reuters