On Friday, the Supreme Court of Myanmar dismissed special motions for appeal pertaining to six corruption convictions of former State Counsellor and democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. This dismissal is a marked setback for Suu Kyi, whose convictions include violations of the Natural Disaster Management Law, the Communication Law, and section 505(b) of the Myanmar Penal Code, with the latter concerning defamation against the military and undermining the national order, reports Bloomberg News and the Associated Press.
During the month of August, Myanmar’s military junta announced a partial pardon of Suu Kyi on five of these counts, thereby reducing her original 33-year sentence by 6 years. Specific details regarding Suu Kyi’s charges have not been made readily available to the public by the Supreme Court, and it remains unclear exactly where she is being held in detention.
AP revealed that the legal team representing the 78-year-old has attempted to schedule a meeting for discussing the special appeals since the beginning of the year, but such efforts have been consistently rebuffed by authorities.
An anonymous legal official familiar with the case shared with AP News that Suu Kyi stands accused of acquiring land at below-market prices in Yangon and Naypyidaw. The military junta alleges that the land, albeit acquired for a charitable organization, was instead used by Suu Kyi to build a private residence. The same sources also claim Suu Kyi received campaign funds from a convicted drug dealer.
With the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the appeals, Suu Kyi’s legal team can now proceed towards a re-examination of their plea by Myanmar’s Special Appeals Tribunal or the Plenary Tribunal. However, they face the formidable challenge of persuading a chief justice on either of the courts about the public interest inherent in a re-examination of Suu Kyi’s appeals.
A Radio Free Asia source reported Suu Kyi’s worsening health status in detention, with her urgent dental care requests consistently being ignored by the military junta. Suu Kyi, a renowned dissident and the founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD), found herself in custody following a military coup after a resounding election victory for NLD in 2020. She was subsequently arrested for alleged election fraud. In March 2023, the military junta dissolved NLD, alongside 40 other opposition parties under a new Political Party Registration Law.