In Myanmar, controlled by a military regime in 2021, former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to four years of prison for incitement and violating epidemiological restrictions, British news portal The Guardian reports.
On Monday, December 6, a court in the South-East Asian country the first verdict to be handed down to Myanmar’s ousted leader since the junta seized power in February.
The 76-year-old Nobel peace prize laureate has been accused of a series of offences – from unlawful possession of walkie-talkies to breaches of the Official Secrets Act – that could amount to decades-long prison sentences. Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer has previously described the cases as «absurd».
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The incitement case reportedly centred on a statement, published online following the February coup, which had urged international organisations not to cooperate with the junta. The second case alleged that she had broken Covid rules while campaigning before the 2020 election.
Myanmar’s former president Win Myint was sentenced to four years on the same charges. Myo Aung, the former mayor of Naypyitaw, was sentenced to two years for incitement. No much is known about the proceedings in any of the legal cases. Aung San Suu Kyi has been tried in a closed court, with no access for observers, and her lawyer has been prevented from speaking to journalists, The Guardian reports.
Myanmar regime convicts former head of government to prison
