Ousted Myanmar leader Suu Kyi sentenced to four years in prison
Myanmar’s junta on Monday jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for four years for inciting the military and violating Covid rules, a government spokesman told AFP, the first in a series of possible sentences that could lead to the Nobel prize to prison for decades.
Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals toppled her government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief period of democracy.
Since then, she has been indicted on a number of charges, including violation of the official secrets law, corruption and voter fraud, and faces decades in jail if convicted on all counts.
On Monday, Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years for incitement against the military and another two years for violating a Covid-related natural disaster law, board spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP by phone.
Former President Win Myint was also jailed for four years on the same charges, he said, but added that they would not yet be taken to prison.
“They will face other charges from the places where they are staying now,” he added, referring to his arrest in the capital of Naypyidaw but without giving further details.
QUOTES: From APHR President @mpklang on today’s sentence of Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison in the first of a series of charges against him.
“No one is fooled by today’s sentence. Since the day of the coup, it has become clear that the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi …
– APHR (@ASEANMP) December 6, 2021
Journalists have been excluded from proceedings at the Naypyidaw Special Court and Suu Kyi’s lawyers were recently banned from speaking to the media.
In recent weeks, trials of other high-ranking members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy have concluded, with the board imposing harsh sentences.
A former prime minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail this month, while a close aide to Suu Kyi was jailed for 20.
‘Revenge’
Amnesty International immediately condemned the sentences against Suu Kyi.
“The harsh sentences handed down against Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the determination of the military to eliminate all opposition and stifle freedoms in Myanmar,” said Regional Deputy Director of Amnesty Campaigns Ming Yu Hah.
“The absurd and corrupt court decision is part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 people and thousands arrested since the February military coup.”
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The senior adviser to the International Crisis Group in Myanmar, Richard Horsey, also told AFP that the sentences “were about retaliation and a show of power by the military.”
“It would be surprising, however, if they sent her to prison. Most likely, she will fulfill this mandate and the following at her home or in a regime ‘guest house’.”
The military, which has dominated life in Myanmar for decades, has defended its coup, citing allegations of fraud in last year’s general election, which Suu Kyi’s party won handily.
International pressure on the junta to quickly restore democracy has shown no signs of diverting the generals, and bloody clashes with anti-coup protesters continue across the country.
(AFP)
