The Supreme Court of Myanmar on Wednesday heard the first in a series of appeals by former leader Aung San Suu Kyi against several convictions, a source familiar with the case said, as she seeks to reduce her 33 years of jail time.
The 78-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been convicted of offences ranging from incitement and election fraud to corruption since the military arrested her during the February 2021 coup against her elected government. She is being held in solitary confinement in prison in Nay Pyi Taw. Her supporters say the charges were politically motivated.
The military junta has imposed a gag order on her lawyers, stopping them from speaking to the media or foreign organisations about the cases. Her lawyers have not been able to see their client since Dec 30.
Representatives of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was not herself present, made arguments in court on Wednesday about her conviction for a breach of the Official Secrets Act and electoral fraud, said a source who sought anonymity as the matter is sensitive.
The court is expected to take up to two months to deliver its ruling.
A junta spokesperson could not immediately be reached for confirmation.
The 2021 coup plunged Myanmar into political and social chaos, with the junta drawing global condemnation for its heavy-handed crackdown on opponents such as Aung San Suu Kyi.
The military says defendants are given due process by an independent judiciary, countering criticism from rights groups over the jailing of members of the pro-democracy movement in secret trials and the resumption of executions after a gap of decades.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear further appeals from Aung San Suu Kyi and former president Win Myint against convictions for misuse of state funds and violations of trade and telecoms laws over the next two weeks, The Irrawaddy news site reported this week.
