Myanmar: Court sentences former leader Suu Kyi to four more years in prison

A Myanmar court has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison on various charges, a source familiar with the case said.

Suu Kyi was accused of violating restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic and illegal possession of walkie-talkies.

Suu Kyi, a 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been tried in more than a dozen cases, for which she could face up to 100 years in prison. She denies all charges.

Myanmar is mired in crisis following the February 1st coup that toppled a democratically elected government. Since then, there have been daily protests against the coup and a movement of political disobedience has spread, raising concerns in the international community.

On December 6, Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison for inciting insurgency and violating covid-19 regulations. The junta then reduced its sentence to two years.

It is unclear whether Suu Kyi will serve her prison sentence or remain under house arrest.

Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.

The junta responds that all legal proceedings are followed by an independent tribunal presided over by a judge appointed by Suu Kyi’s government.

Her trial in the capital, Naipa, was barred from the media, and her lawyers were barred from speaking to reporters or the public.

The junta has not revealed the whereabouts of Suu Kyi, who has spent years under house arrest under the previous military government.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had indicated last month that Suu Kyi and ousted President Win Mind would remain in custody during their own and would not be transferred to prison.

SOURCE: AMPE