Myanmar coup: Court to deliver final verdict for Aung San Suu Kyi trials

The military-backed court in Myanmar is set to deliver its final verdicts to the trials of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week. The final verdicts wrap up the series of trials against the ousted leader since the generals overthrew Myanmar’s elected government in a coup last year.

A source familiar with the matter said that the junta-backed court will be delivering the final verdict on Suu Kyi’s trials on Friday, wrapping up the series of proceedings against the ousted leader that has been criticized as a sham. Suu Kyi has so far been convicted of multiple offenses since the coup in February last year and sentenced to at least 26 years in prison in what critics called stunts by the junta to prevent Suu Kyi from returning.

Suu Kyi has denied wrongdoing in the cases, calling the charges “absurd.” All the ousted leader’s trials have been done behind closed doors. Only limited information is being provided by state media, and Suu Kyi’s lawyers are subject to a gag order.

The junta has alleged that Suu Kyi is being given due process by an independent judiciary that was appointed by her administration. The court is set to rule on five corruption cases against her, with each charge carrying up to 15 years in prison, according to the source.

Hundreds have been killed, and thousands have been detained protesting against the junta following the coup last year. The United Nations has accused the junta of committing atrocities against civilians, and the junta is already facing resistance groups on multiple fronts, as well as the shadow government made by members of the ousted administration and coup opponents.

The shadow government has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week not to waver from its policy of excluding the junta from its gatherings following Thailand’s hosting of junta ministers for informal talks with the ministers of ASEAN members Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

The government ministers of the four countries under the 10-member bloc met with junta envoys in Bangkok to “find pathways towards a return to normalcy,” according to the Cambodian official.