Election fraud trial of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi set for Feb 14
India Today
The election fraud trial of Maynmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin on February 14.
he trial of Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi for election fraud will begin on February 14, a legal official said Monday, one among a raft of charges the former politician is facing under the country's military rulers.
Suu Kyi was arrested by Myanmar's army when it seized power in February2021, alleging widespread voter fraud in the country's last election — an allegation that independent election observers have said they've seen no serious evidence for. The former civilian leader has already been sentenced to six years in prison on separate charges.
The legal official — who is acquainted with the charges facing Suu Kyi but spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to release information — said the former leader was accused of influencing the Union Election Commission in connection with the November 2020 election, which her National League for Democracy won by a landslide.
Widespread nonviolent demonstrations followed the army takeover, but after protests were put down with lethal force, armed resistance began. Some 1,500 civilians have died, but the government has been unable to suppress an insurgency that is active in both urban and rural areas.
The election fraud charge against Suu Kyi was filed in November of last year by the state election commission, whose members were appointed by the military government.
The trial will be held in the capital Naypyitaw, and the penalty for the offence is three years' imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted not under the Election Law, but under Section 130(A) of the Penal Code covering provisions in the constitution and acts of Parliament.
Former President Win Myint and former Minister of the President's Office Min Thu are co-defendants in this case. Defence lawyers went to court Monday to hear the charges.
