The bloc says that these processes seek to “exclude democratically elected leaders from political life”
Dec. 30 () –
The European Union (EU) has criticized this Friday the new sentences to seven years in prison against the former ‘de facto’ leader of Burma Aung San Suu Kyi and the former president of the country Win Myint and has stressed that they are part of “a series of politically motivated trials” since the February 2021 coup.
A spokesman for the European External Action Service has said that “these trials have been carried out without respecting due process procedures and without the necessary judicial guarantees” and added that “they are a clear attempt to exclude political leaders democratically elected”.
“Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi face twelve and 33 years in prison, respectively, including three years of forced labor, which represents a new flagrant violation of Human Rights in Burma,” he stressed through a statement.
For this reason, he stressed that the EU “firmly condemns these trials, the verdicts and the general dismantling of democracy and the rule of law in Burma”, before reiterating that “only genuine dialogue involving Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Government of national unity -the parallel Executive established by the party of the Nobel Peace Prize after the coup-, civil society and the rest of the relevant actors can lead to a way out of the deep crisis in the country and restore the path towards democracy”.
“The EU further expresses its deep concern over the large number of people detained arbitrarily and reiterates its urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners,” said the spokesman for the office headed by the High Representative of the EU for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
Lastly, he stated that “the actions of the military regime continue to show total disregard for human dignity and the popular will.” “The EU reiterates its full support for the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to promote a peaceful solution to the crisis in Burma, including an inclusive dialogue called for by the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus,” it has settled. .
Suu Kyi and Win Myint have been sentenced this Friday in a case related to the rental and purchase of helicopters for use in disaster management tasks, although the accusations made are not clear because the lawyers are prohibited from talking about the procedures.
The coup was perpetrated by the Army to annul the results of the November 2020 general elections, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won the parliamentary majority, arguing that there had been fraud, a claim disputed by observers. international.
The coup was followed by a harsh campaign of repression against opponents, activists and protesters that to date has resulted in nearly 2,700 deaths and more than 16,600 detainees –including more than 13,100 who remain in custody–, according to published data. by the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP) through its Twitter account.
On the other hand, the initial protests against the coup have led to the formation of armed resistance groups and the reinforcement of the ethnic militias already present in the country before the coup, which has led to an upsurge in fighting in various parts of the country, especially in the north.
