A junta court in Myanmar on Friday sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison for voter fraud in a 2020 election that her party won in a landslide victory.
Suu Kyi was “sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor,” said a source with knowledge of the case, adding that the 77-year-old Nobel laureate appears to be in good health.
Jailed since a coup last year, Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a closed junta court on corruption and a host of other charges.
Journalists have been barred from trials in the military-built capital, Naypyidaw, and their lawyers have been prevented from speaking to the press.
The military claimed widespread voter fraud during the November 2020 election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won with great success, although international observers said the election was largely free and fair.
The military has since annulled the result and said it uncovered more than 11 million counts of voter fraud.
Last month, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said the military was “forgiving” towards Suu Kyi and could have taken “more serious measures” against her.
Myanmar was plunged into crisis after the military took power last year, with parts of the country devastated by fighting and the economy in freefall.
More than 2,200 people have been killed and over 15,000 arrested since the military took power, according to a local monitoring group.
– ‘Peaceful and stable’ –
The junta declared a state of emergency after toppling Suu Kyi’s government and previously said elections would be held and the state of emergency lifted by August 2023.
In a speech broadcast last month, Min Aung Hlaing gave no date for new elections but said they could only take place if the country was “peaceful and stable”.
He also said “reform” of the electoral system was needed, including combining the first-past-the-post system – under which Suu Kyi’s NLD won a resounding majority – with proportional representation.
Last month the junta-staffed Union Electoral Commission said the country’s 92 registered political parties had to ask permission if they wanted to meet foreign organizations or individuals.
“Political parties must respect the law,” the commission said.
“If they don’t do that, their party’s registration will be canceled.”
