Myanmar: Court Convicts Suu Kyi of Electoral Fraud

Facts

• On Fri., ousted former leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty of electoral fraud in the military-run country and sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor.
• Suu Kyi has been detained since the military seized power early last year and had already been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. She still faces eight other charges, including corruption, but has denied all allegations against her.
• Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the last election in November 2020 by a landslide, securing a second term in office. The military took over three months later, alleging electoral fraud.
• Alongside the 77-year old, former UK ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman and her husband Htein Lin have also been sentenced to one year in prison for allegedly breaching immigration laws.
• If convicted on all charges, Suu Kyi could hypothetically face almost 200 years in prison.
• The US and its Western allies have imposed sanctions on Myanmar military generals and supporters in response to Suu Kyi's overthrow.

Sources: CNN, Reuters, Irrawaddy, Newsbud, BBC News, and News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Forbes. The right to a fair trial has been wiped away under the military coup, and Suu Kyi is one of many who have been unjustly detained due to the military's desire to repress opposition. This is another example of the legal system of Myanmar being used as a political tool rather than a form of justice.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Bangkok Post. This is a strong response against corruption and fraud. There was evidence of error in voter registrations in all constituencies and the election commission found as many as 11M occurrences of fraud in the November election. Those responsible must be held accountable.