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Myanmar Supreme Court Rejects Aung San Suu Kyi Appeal on Corruption Charges


FILE - Demonstrators protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 6, 2021.
FILE - Demonstrators protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 6, 2021.

An appeal of a five-year jail sentence against ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was rejected Wednesday by the country's supreme court.

The decision reportedly came as soon as the claim for an appeal was lodged, and the court didn't entertain arguments from either side in the case.

Suu Kyi, 76, was sentenced last week after being found guilty of 11 counts of corruption, including taking a bribe of cash and gold bars worth $600,000.

Her lawyer called the charge absurd.

Suu Kyi had already been sentenced to six years for actions against the military, breaking COVID-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law.

She faces many more charges, and if found guilty could be sentenced to more than 150 years in jail.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since a military coup took over the country last year.

Since the coup, on Feb. 1, 2021, there have been widespread protests against the military regime. The regime cracked down violently in many cases, leaving more than 1,800 civilians dead and more than 10,000 arrested, charged or sentenced, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Some information in this report comes from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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