
Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been awarded anothersix-year sentence for accepting bribes, and corruption by one of the nation's military courts, even as media is barred from attending her trials and even her lawyers are banned from speaking to the press.
Suu Kyi has been accused of accepting bribes from Maung Weik, a businessman, reported AFP citing a source, adding that she has been "sentenced to three years imprisonment each for two corruption cases".
The two sentences will reportedly run concurrently, which means that three years will be added to her jail time, bringing the total to 26 years. She also faces charges for at least 18 other offences ranging from graft to election violations, carrying combined maximum terms of nearly 190 years.
The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been behind bars for more than a year, has denied the accusations, calling it absurd.
"Myanmar's military is heaping trumped-up charge after trumped-up charge on Aung San Suu Kyi as part of a broader campaign to lock up and silence any and all opponents," said an Amnesty International spokesperson on Wednesday. Calling the trial a sham, they added that it cannot be taken seriously.
Media has been barred from attending trials involving the deposed leader and her lawyers have been banned from speaking to the press.
Suu Kyi is currently on trial for five other corruption charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The allegations against Suu Kyi, according to the military's critics, are intended to prevent her from ever entering politics again or attempting to overthrow the military's hold on power after last year's coup, reports Reuters.
On February 1 of last year, a military coup ended her country's brief period of democratic rule. Since then, more than 2,300 people have been killed in the ensuing chaos, and over 15,000 have been put behind bars, reports AFP, quoting a local monitoring group.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.