A Myanmar Junta spokesperson has clarified that deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to prison where she is being held in solitary confinement. “By the law, it’s confirmed that (Suu Kyi) has been moved to the prison. And she’s been kept at separate confinement well,” Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said in a statement.
Ever since the military deposed her and grabbed power on February 1, 2021, Suu Kyi had been under house arrest at an undisclosed location in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw. A Nobel peace prize winner, Suu Kyi faces 20 criminal charges that can potentially sentence her to a combined maximum jail term of more than 100 years.
A CNN report says the charges include violations of electoral and state secret laws and multiple charges of corruption. The 77-year-old leader denies all accusations. Sources told Reuters that Suu Kyi was transferred after Myanmar’s military rulers ordered all legal proceedings against the septuagenarian to be moved from a courtroom to a prison.
The source, who declined to be identified due to sensitivities over the trial, said hearings would be shifted to a new special court in Naypyidaw’s prison. “It is declared by the judge that a new building for the court is complete,” the source told Reuters.
The veteran leader’s court proceedings take place behind closed doors, her lawyers have been gagged and they can only meet her on days of her trial.
Myanmar has been facing a crisis since the military junta snatched power and the country is in chaos. Even as the military grapples to consolidate power, it is facing resistance from militia groups. The West has slammed Suu Kyi’s detention and have appealed for her release from captivity. The military on the other hand argues that she is being given due process by an independent judiciary.
