BANGKOK: Myanmar’s Supreme Court scheduled hearings for this month to consider appeals from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her conviction in cases that saw her receive a total of 33 years in prison, legal officials said on Saturday. The cases against her are mostly brought by the military that seized power from her elected government in February 2021.
The 78-year-old Suu Kyi was arrested following the military takeover and tried on a variety of charges that supporters and rights groups say were concocted to legitimize the usurpation and discredit her so she could not resume an active role in politics. She has not been seen or allowed to speak in public since she was arrested and her lawyers have been barred from speaking to the press about her cases since late 2021. Two legal officials familiar with the cases filed against her said the Supreme Court planned to hear Suu Kyi’s appeals on July 5 in two cases in which she was convicted of election fraud and breaching the country’s official secrets act. She received a three-year sentence for each case in September last year.
The 78-year-old Suu Kyi was arrested following the military takeover and tried on a variety of charges that supporters and rights groups say were concocted to legitimize the usurpation and discredit her so she could not resume an active role in politics. She has not been seen or allowed to speak in public since she was arrested and her lawyers have been barred from speaking to the press about her cases since late 2021. Two legal officials familiar with the cases filed against her said the Supreme Court planned to hear Suu Kyi’s appeals on July 5 in two cases in which she was convicted of election fraud and breaching the country’s official secrets act. She received a three-year sentence for each case in September last year.