- According to a state media report published on Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi once called the darling of democracy – has been charged by the Myanmar junta with severe electoral fraud in th …
- Myanmar has been in upheaval since a military coup in February spurred national protests and a bloody crackdown on dissidents.
- Since the military coup, Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained and faces many allegations, including illegally importing walkie-talkies, sedition, and corruption.
YANGON, Myanmar – According to a state media report published on Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi once called the darling of democracy – has been charged by the Myanmar junta with severe electoral fraud in the country’s elections held in 2020.
Myanmar has been in upheaval since a military coup in February spurred national protests and a bloody crackdown on dissidents.
Since the military coup, Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained and faces many allegations, including illegally importing walkie-talkies, sedition, and corruption. If convicted, she risks decades behind bars.
According to Myanmar’s state-run daily Global New Light, the new charges include “election fraud and lawless actions,” which did not specify when court hearings would begin.
The report said that fifteen other people, including former president Win Myint and the former chairman of the election commission, face the same charge.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) received more votes in the 2020 election than in the 2015 election, defeating a military-aligned party.
On the other hand, the junta has cited election fraud as the justification for seizing power and terminating Myanmar’s democratic phase.
In July, it canceled the election results, claiming that it had discovered more than 11 million voting fraud cases.
According to Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, new elections would be held and the state of emergency abolished by August 2023, extending the military’s previous deadline promised when it took control.
