The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada announced coordinated efforts to sanction Myanmar officials Monday, one year after the junta filed new charges Aung San Suu Kyi following her ouster in a coup.
The sanctions come one year after the military staged a coup against Suu Kyi. The coup sparked widespread protests, followed by a brutal crackdown on opposition voices that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,500 civilians, according to local monitors.
Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since last February's coup.
The three nations, which have already sanctioned Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and other junta members, took joint action against judicial officials involved in prosecutions of deposed Nobel laureate Suu Kyi.
According to a source, the military junta has now charged her with attempting to influence election officials during the 2020 elections, in addition to previous charges, including violating the country's official secrets laws.
If the Nobel laureate is convicted of all charges, she could face sentences totaling more than 100 years in prison.
Britain, the United States, and Canada jointly sanctioned Supreme Court Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo, Attorney General Thida Oo, and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Tin Oo, alleging that they were complicit in Suu Kyi's "politically motivated" prosecution.
Additionally, Washington sanctioned a directorate charged with procuring weapons for the junta from abroad, an alleged arms dealer, and a company it claims provides financial support to the junta.
In July last year, the junta annulled the results of the 2020 election, claiming that it discovered approximately 11.3 million instances of fraud. Independent observers reported that the elections were largely free and unbiased.
The junta has promised to hold another election by August 2023 if the country's stability is restored following clashes between the military and anti-coup fighters.
Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, inciting anti-military sentiment, and violating COVID-19 rules.
She will stand trial again on charges of attempting to influence the country's election commission during the 2020 elections, in which her National League for Democracy (NLD) party defeated a military-aligned rival, a source familiar with the case said.
On Monday, a United Nations team of investigators in Myanmar said it was compiling files that could aid in prosecuting those responsible for atrocities committed over the last year.
