She was found guilty of the first of 11 corruption cases, Reuters news agency reported, citing sources close to the court.
Last year, the leader was sentenced to two years in prison for inciting resistance to the military and violating health regulations during the Covid19 pandemic.
She has been in detention since a military junta overthrew her government on February 1, 2021, ending a brief period of democracy in Myanmar.
- Understanding the military coup in Myanmar
Known for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, Suu Kyi, 76, has been the country’s de facto leader since 2015. Officially, her position was that of chairwoman of the civil party NDL.
The daughter of a hero of the country’s independence, General Aung San, Suu Kyi was imprisoned during the military regime and remained so for 15 years (read further in this article).
She only got out of prison in 2010 and became head of state. In power, he allied with the military to persecute an ethnic minority, the Rohingyas, who are Muslims (Myanmar is mostly Buddhist).
2 of 5 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar heading to Palang Khali, Bangladesh, near Cox’s Bazar, on November 2, 2017. — Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar head towards Palang Khali, Bangladesh, near Cox’s Bazar, November 2, 2017. — Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters
In 2019 she was the country’s representative in a trial before an International Court of Justice. Myanmar is accused of ethnic cleansing.
In the country, some believe that Aung San Suu Kyi made a concession to the military by working with it to try to strengthen democracy in the country.
On the day of the coup, in February 2021, she urged the population not to accept the militaryled action and was promptly arrested by the junta that took power.
3 in 5 Myanmar citizens hold a photo of leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against the country’s military coup outside a UN building in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday (2) Photo: Reuters/Jorge Silva
Myanmar citizens hold a photo of leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against the country’s military coup in front of a UN building in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday (2) Photo: Reuters/Jorge Silva
prison during the dictatorship
For the 15 years that she was tied to her residence, she had to confine herself to speaking to the followers stationed on the other side of her garden wall.
But now the situation is fundamentally different, as the military keeps his place of detention secret and his contacts abroad are limited to brief meetings with lawyers.
Suu Kyi spent much of her life in exile: first in India and then in Britain, where she lived the life of a housewife, married to an Oxford professor, Michael Aris, a specialist in Tibet.
When she traveled to Myanmar to visit her mother in 1988, she surprised everyone by announcing that she would be involved in her country’s affairs, in full revolt against the military junta.
“As my father’s daughter, I could not remain indifferent to everything that happened,” she said in her first speech.
4 of 5 Aung San Suu Kyi speaks in Yangon this Monday (2) Photo: Reuters
Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech in Yangon on Monday (2) Photo: Reuters
The military junta approved the formation of her party, but she was quickly placed under house arrest.
In detention, Suu Kyi watched her victory in the 1990 elections, but the junta refused to recognize the results.
In 1991 he received the Nobel Peace Prize, but was unable to attend the award ceremony in Oslo. She had to wait more than 20 years for the award.
In 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released after 15 years of house arrest. He entered parliament in 2012 after the military junta was dissolved a year earlier.
His international figure began to crumble as soon as he was in power. Some criticized her for an autocratic view of the state.
Also, she had to strike a balance to live with the military, which remained at the head of important ministries.
5 out of 5 Rohingya refugees are awaiting permission from the Bangladeshi army to continue crossing the border into Myanmar to Teknaf on Wednesday (25) — Photo: Reuters/Hannah McKay
Rohingya refugees await permission from the Bangladeshi army to continue crossing the border into Myanmar to Teknaf on Wednesday (25) Photo: Reuters/Hannah McKay
In 2017, nearly 750,000 Rohingya Muslims fled abuses at the hands of the government and Buddhist militias to seek refuge in camps in Bangladesh.
After the tragedy, Myanmar was charged with “genocide” before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Suu Kyi did not condemn the military and personally appeared in court to defend her country. She denied “any genocidal intent”.
Suu Kyi’s party’s victory in the 2020 general election provoked the wrath of the military, which led to the coup in February.
VIDEO: The military takes power in Myanmar and the leaders are arrested
Imprisoned and sentenced to silence, “Mother Suu” currently has little influence in Myanmar, where many people have renounced one of their founding principles, the policy of nonviolence, and there is ongoing guerrilla action against the junta.
She still faces nearly a dozen charges and up to 102 years in prison.
“Suu Kyi’s government had flaws and created frustrations,” summarizes Sophie Boisseau, an analyst at France’s Institute for International Relations, in an interview with AFP. “But it allowed a draft that gives people the strength to resist today.”