Myanmar’s top court declines to hear jailed Suu Kyi’s appeals

Myanmar’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected appeals by Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers to overturn her conviction in some corruption cases brought against the ousted leader by the military regime.

The top court turned down the appeals in six cases where she was found guilty of abusing her authority and accepting bribes.

The 78-year-old Suu Kyi, who was arrested when the army toppled her elected government in February 2021, is serving prison sentences totaling 27 years after being convicted of a string of criminal charges mostly brought by the country’s military junta.

She is appealing dozens of convictions for crimes ranging from treason and bribery to violations of the telecommunications law, all of which she vehemently denies.

Her supporters and independent analysts say the charges, all of which have been contested by Suu Kyi and her lawyers, are bogus and an attempt to discredit her and legitimize the military’s seizure of power.

The Western-backed leader Suu Kyi was convicted of 19 offenses and initially sentenced to 33 years of imprisonment on cases ranging from corruption to election fraud.

In August, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, granted her clemency in five cases and reduced her sentence by six years as part of a broader amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners.

Suu Kyi was president in 2017 campaigning for democracy, when the genocide of Rohingya Muslims took place by the Myanmar military.

Myanmar’s military leaders claim that the Nobel Laureate colluded with them during her tenure as the country’s civilian leader in the killing and brutal displacement of nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims.

The military takeover triggered mass protests in the country, which was followed by the junta's brutal crackdown on opponents, with thousands jailed or killed.

ME