Myanmar moves Aung San Suu Kyi to solitary confinement at a new prison facility

Myanmar’s military government has confirmed that ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to a prison complex in neighborhoods separate from other inmates.

Suu Kyi was arrested on February 1, 2021, when the army took power from her elected government.

She was originally held at her residence in Naypyitaw, the capital, but was later moved to at least one other location.

For most of the past year, she has been detained at an unknown location in Naypyitaw, which is generally believed to be on a military base.

Major General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the ruling military council, confirmed in a text message to reporters that Suu Kyi was moved to the main prison in Naypyitaw on Wednesday, where she will be held separately under “well-kept” circumstances.

The news of her transfer had been reported on Wednesday but not officially confirmed.

He said Suu Kyi, who has already been convicted in several cases, was transferred to the jail in accordance with the law.

A legal official familiar with Suu Kyi’s trials said she was detained in a newly built building with three policewomen whose duty is to help her.

A three-finger gesture in front of a poster by Aung San Suu Kyi. — Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters say her imprisonment is politically motivated to discredit her and legitimize the military takeover.(Reuters)

Her ongoing lawsuits will also be held in jail at another newly built facility. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release any information about her cases.

Suu Kyi, who turned 77 on Sunday, spent about 15 years in detention under a former military government, but pretty much it was all under house arrest in her family home in Yangon, the country’s largest city.

The secret place where she had been sitting for most of the past year was a residence.

She had nine people to help her there and she was allowed to keep a dog that was a gift arranged by one of her sons, said another legal official, who also asked not to be named for fear or consequences from the government.

The official said neither her assistants nor the dog accompanied Suu Kyi to her new prison neighborhood.

Suu Kyi is being prosecuted for several charges, including corruption. Her supporters say the charges are politically motivated to discredit her and legitimize the military takeover.

Closed court hearings continue in prison court

Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of illegal importation and possession of walkie-talkies, violation of coronavirus restrictions, riots and an initial charge of corruption.

One of the legal officials said that Suu Kyi’s first hearing in the new jail courtroom was held on Thursday in the case of violation of the law on official secrets.

Defense attorneys cross-examined three witnesses from the prosecution, but details of their testimony were not available.

All of Suu Kyi’s cases have been held in closed hearings. Her lawyers are banned from discussing the case.

Suu Kyi’s co-defendant in the case is Australian economist Sean Turnell, who had been her adviser, and three former cabinet members.

Professor Turnell is also being held in the same prison with Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi is also being prosecuted for 11 cases of corruption, each with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, and a charge of electoral fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.

The ruling military council says it plans to hold new elections around the middle of next year, if circumstances allow.(Reuters)

Junta has been working hard to create “impressions of legitimacy” since the coup

The military’s takeover last year sparked peaceful nationwide protests against security forces cracking down on deadly forcewhich triggers armed resistance, which some UN experts now characterize as civil war.

The ruling military council said it plans to hold new elections around the middle of next year if circumstances allow. Critics, however, warn that such polls are hardly free and fair.

Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, said on Thursday that the military has worked hard to “create an impression of legitimacy” after ousting Suu Kyi’s government.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in a November 2020 parliamentary election.

The military claimed that it had seized power because of opinion polls, which led to widespread fraud.

“Any hint that there could be any possibility of a free and fair election in Myanmar in 2023 is frankly absurd,” Andrews said at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.