Ousted Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to another seven years in jail as her long series of trials ended on Friday, with the Nobel laureate now facing more than three decades behind bars. A prisoner of the military since a coup last year, Suu Kyi, 77, has been convicted on every charge levelled against her ranging from corruption to illegally possessing walkie-talkies and flouting Covid restrictions. On Friday, she was jailed for seven years on five counts of corruption related to the hiring, maintaining and purchase of a helicopter for a government minister, a case in which she allegedly caused “a loss to the state”.

Suu Kyi — sentenced to a total of 33 years following 18 months of court proceedings that rights groups have dismissed as a sham — appeared in good health, a legal source familiar with the case told.  “All her cases were finished and there are no more charges against her,” said the source, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Journalists have been barred from attending the hearings and Suu Kyi’s lawyers have been blocked from speaking to the media. The road leading to the prison holding Suu Kyi in the military-built capital Naypyidaw was clear of traffic ahead of the verdict, said. Former Myanmar president Win Myint, who was co-accused with Suu Kyi in the latest trial, received the same sentence, the source said, adding that both would appeal. Since her trial began, Suu Kyi has been seen only once — in grainy state media photos from a bare courtroom — and has been reliant on lawyers to relay messages to the world.

Many in Myanmar’s democracy struggle, which Suu Kyi has dominated for decades, have abandoned her core principle of non-violence, with “People’s Defence Forces” clashing regularly with the military across the country. Last week, the United Nations Security Council called on the junta to release Suu Kyi in its first resolution on the situation in Myanmar since the coup.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP