Suu Kyi gets another 6 years on corruption charges

Former leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi received an additional 6 year jail sentence by a junta court on Monday.

She has been charged with a total of 19 charges, which includes incitement against the military, breaking Covid-19 rules, and illegally importing walkie-talkies. She has, however, denied these charges, which are widely attributed to a political witch-hunt. The ousted leader was deposed in a military coup by Myanmar’s military generals on February 2021.

Now 77, the 6 year sentence in addition to the previous sentences she had received could very well mean a long way from freedom. Once hailed as a beacon for freedom and democracy in the East Asian nation, she received criticism from the international community for defending the military government’s actions against the Rohingya.

The fallout between the military and the Nobel laureate has been as a result of her push to widen civilian control although she was accused of electoral fraud, which was largely cited as a motive for the coup, an accusation she vehemently denies.

Myanmar’s political system is beyond complex, given the different views on governance wielded by pro-democracy groups and the military establishment. Although the 2008 constitution limited the military’s power, the military still enjoys a guaranteed 25% seat in parliament as well as controls on most of the country’s ministries. A move often seen as giving the military a level of control even under constitutional rule.

As a country that has seen a lot of military rule, and the amount of power the military possesses, it will be difficult to completely change its political system. However, it is likely we could see another civilian given “power” or sidelined out of the political scene similar to Suu Kyi’s case.

 

Bainamultimedia/ Ibrahim Jabir

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