At least from a formal point of view, a step has been taken. The Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi officially knows which charges she will have to answer at the trial that will be held, on a date yet to be defined. This was announced by the official press through the state newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar, according to which the leader of the most voted party of the former Burma she will be prosecuted for “electoral fraud and illegal actions”.
Fifteen other officials, including former President of the Republic Win Myint, who was also arrested during the February coup, will be prosecuted for the same crime.
A predictable sentence
Not surprising in some ways. Already in November 2020, in the aftermath of the last free consultations held in Myanmar, General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the armed forces, had contested the results of the ballot and had asked for it to be re-examined, otherwise the army would have intervened to resolve the political crisis in progress. The electoral commission, however, had denied these allegations.
The coup in February
Despite this, on February 1 of this year the military carried out a coup d’état, bringing back the leadership of the country, led by Min Aung Hlaing himself. An action that had sparked protests in much of the country, but which had been harshly repressed and with a still uncertain number of deaths.
The condemnation of the international community
The condemnation of the international community is harsh, with the sole exception of China, a historic ally of the Burmese military junta. To date, the only supporter of the country, which instead is increasingly isolated internationally.
The United Nations, through its Secretary General Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned the detention of the leaders and described the coup as “a serious blow to democracy in Burma”. The election results, monitored by international observers, had provided a clear indication: a strong mandate to the Nobel Prize party.
The opposition of China and Russia to the UN
The UN Security Council had held an emergency meeting, in which a resolution was proposed calling for the “restoration of democracy” in Myanmar, condemning the action of the military and calling for the release of the detainees. The statement was not released due to the lack of support from all 15 Council members.
China and Russia, as permanent members of the Council and therefore with veto power, refused to support the declaration.
Source-tg24.sky.it