After a two-month long series of trials, a special Milintican court has announced its sentences for former President Neina Arana and other principal leaders of her regime.
The Special National Tribunal, the temporary court created by the restored Milintican government of President Matōchmizalo, conducted the trials in the city of Huānoch. Sentences were handed down to fifteen government leaders, as well as four military and security force leaders. Four election officials and one judge were also given sentences for their role in falsifying the results of the 2024 Milintican elections.
Former President Arana was given a life sentence, without possibility of parole or early release, to be served at the notorious Xihuitl prison. Her Prime Minister, Mazayotl, was also given a life sentence. The former Minister of Justice, Patariki Waaka, also received a life sentence from the Tribunal. Twelve other members of Arana’s Cabinet were given lesser sentences ranging from five to twenty years in prison.
The Tribunal consisted of eight Milintican judges led by Ori Akarana, the former Chief Prosecutor for the city of Huānoch. In announcing the sentences, Akarana focused specifically on the sentences handed down to Arana, Mazayotl and Waaka. “The mismanagement, corruption and incompetence alone these three exhibited in office would be enough to deem them guilty. But Neina Arana, after fraudulently taking power, enabled the creation of a regime that committed serious and depraved crimes against anyone who opposed her, both here in Milintica and abroad. Mazayotl, as her Prime Minister, helped to enable and deflect her crimes, as well as profiting from them also. And as the Minister of so-called Justice, Patariki Waaka helped the Arana regime through his enabling of kangaroo courts that unjustly imprisoned thousands of Milinticans. These crimes require the harshest sentence possible in our courts,” Akarana said.
Police Commissioner Huaxō. who led the National Police for Arana, also received a life sentence. “Huaxō. as police commissioner, led the force that was largely responsible for helping to engineer Arana’s fraudulent takeover of the government. Huaxō also ordered the National Police to enforce the brutal and tyrannical rule of Arana, arresting thousands of people without cause or due process. Without his cooperation, Neina Arana would not have been able to maintain her regime. His crimes also merit the severest of punishments,” Akarana said.
General Teyanolli, leader of the People’s Army for Arana, received a thirty-year sentence. “While General Teyanolli did serve the usurper President, his decision to surrender rather than to continue to prop up her regime was taken into consideration in his sentencing,” Akarana said. While not a life sentence per se, unless the 68-year-old Teyanolli is pardoned later, it is highly likely he will not survive the sentence.
General Xococatl. leader of the People’s Air Force, received a life sentence “for refusing to abandon Arana’s regime until the end, and for his incompetence in allowing our entire air force to be destroyed by Xiomeran action.” Admiral Anaru Aperahama of the People’s Navy received a life sentence as well, for not abandoning Arana and for the loss of the entire Navy as well during Xiomera’s military intervention.
Wera Hauraki, Chairman of the Peoples’ Electoral Committee, also received a life sentence “for playing a pivotal role in forging the election results that caused Neina Arana to take over the government.” Three other members of the PEC were given sentences ranging from fifteen to thirty years in prison.
The last person to receive a sentence was Tlazohtlaloni, former Chief Justice of Milintica. He was given a thirty-year sentence for his role in covering up the takeover.
The reactions from the convicted at their sentencing ranged from defiant to pleading. General Teyanolli accepted his sentence with a somber apology for not taking action sooner against Arana. General Xococatl and Admiral Aperahama both refused to speak at their sentencings. Tlazohtlaloni and Huaxō both pleaded for clemency, which was not granted. Several former Cabinet members also argued that they only played minor roles in Arana’s regime and asked for clemency as well; their requests were likewise refused.
Former Prime Minister Mazayotl insulted the court, declaring that it had no jurisdiction over him and was illegitimate. This led to a sharp remark from Akarana: “You will recognize the jurisdiction of this court when you’re sitting in jail for the rest of your life at its order.”
The former Minister of Justice, Waaka, warned the court that there were still “many of our followers” among the Milintican population, threatening revenge and “a dire response” if the court didn’t release him. This led to another sharp retort from Akarana: “Anyone who tries that will be sitting in a jail cell next to you, or worse. Milintica will no longer tolerate traitors. This court also will not be intimidated by threats from a delusional man who doesn’t realize his days in power are over even when he sits here in handcuffs.”
The most surprising reaction to sentencing came perhaps from Arana herself. Seemingly unfazed by the sentence, Arana addressed the court by saying that “the day will come when the revolution I started will rise again.”
“One day, the seed we planted will still bear its fruit. The MCP will revive itself, as it did when I took power. It will revive the revolution and free Milintica from your clutches. And when it does, you will be the ones sitting where I am now,” the former President said with an unnervingly calm expression on her face. Akarana responded to that by telling Arana “your revolution failed, you failed, and your days are over whether you see that or not.”
After the sentences were announced, sporadic protests occurred in several cities from members of the now-banned Milintican Communist Party. Milintican security forces stood largely by until some of the protests turned violent. The security forces moved quickly to suppress any violent protests, aided by Huenyan volunteer forces still present in the country to help secure it for the new government. The new head of the National Police, Commissioner Eraka Manuera, said that while the country will allow peaceful protests, any violence or attempts to reverse Arana’s overthrow “will be immediately and definitively shut down.”
After the announcement, President Matōchmizalo said that the tribunals “represented the beginning of our moving forward from the aftermath of Arana’s regime, and the advent of true justice.” The President said that further investigations and trials of lesser figures are likely, but that the major phase of the investigations had ended.
