Aung San Suu Kyi before Supreme Court – she has not been seen in public for 2 years Kenya lifts logging ban – Greenpeace warns of catastrophic consequences

Former freedom icon Aung San Suu Kyi is fighting in Myanmar against her sentence to a total of 33 years in prison. Hearings on various appeals begin Wednesday in Myanmar’s Supreme Court, a source close to Suu Kyi who asked to remain anonymous told the German news agency on Tuesday. Further hearings are scheduled for July 12 and 18.

In total, there are twelve cases for which Suu Kyi has been sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison. The 78-year-old does not make herself heard, but is only assisted by her lawyers.

Her lawyers’ initial appeals were rejected by lower courts, leaving the Supreme Court hearings in the capital Naypyidaw as the final instance. However, observers expect the junta-controlled court to reject the applications.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner was the de facto Prime Minister of the former Burma until the February 2021 military coup. The junta deposed her and had her arrested. She was later indicted by a court controlled by the generals for numerous alleged crimes, including incitement to sedition and corruption. The latest verdict against Suu Kyi came at the end of December last year. Human rights activists spoke of show trials to silence the powerful politician.

After initially being placed under house arrest, she was transferred to a prison in Naypyidaw in June 2022 where she is being held in solitary confinement. Her lawyers were banned from speaking. Suu Kyi was last seen in public in May 2021, when state television showed footage of her in court. (sda/dpa)