Myanmar Military Regime Sentences 4 Years In Prison To Aung San Suu Kyi And President Win Myint

JAKARTA - A court in Myanmar has sentenced ousted state leader and adviser Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison, according to media reports.

Citing Al Jazeera Dec. 6, Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told AFP news agency Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty on Monday of sedition and violating COVID-19 rules.

Zaw Min Tun said Suu Kyi received two years in prison on each of the two charges.

He also said former President Win Myint was also jailed for four years on the same charge, adding that the two leaders would not be taken to jail yet.

"They will face other charges from where they live now in the capital Naypyidaw," he added, without giving further details.

The trial in Naypyidaw was closed to the media, while the military barred Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer from communicating with the media and the public.

Monday's verdict is the first in a dozen cases the military has brought against Aung San Suu Kyi since her civilian government was toppled in a coup on February 1.

Other cases against the Nobel Peace Prize winner include multiple charges of corruption, violation of state secrets laws, and telecommunications laws all of which carry a maximum sentence of more than a century in prison.

Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi denied all the accusations from the start. Supporters say the case is baseless and designed to end Suu Kyi's political career, binding her to legal proceedings while the military consolidates power.

Separately, Charles Santiago, a Malaysian legislator and chairman of the ASEAN Parliament for Human Rights (APHR), condemned Monday's sentence, calling it a "parody of justice".

"Since the day of the coup, it has become clear that the accusations against Aung San Suu Kyi, and the dozens of other detained MPs, are nothing more than an excuse by the junta to justify their illegal power grab," Santiago said.

ASEAN has spearheaded diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, with Santiago saying Monday's decision demonstrates the "junta's continued contempt for ASEAN" and its peace plan, which includes starting a dialogue between Myanmar's opposing sides.

"We continue our call to ASEAN to ban all junta representatives from attending its meetings, prevent the junta general from traveling in the region, and to engage with the elected Government of National Unity," he said, referring to the parallel government set up by the ousted government. elected legislator.

Meanwhile, Ming Yu Hah of Amnesty International said Monday's sentence of Aung San Suu Kyi on "false charges is the latest example of the military's determination to eliminate all opposition and freedom.

"The humorous and corrupt court decisions are part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has left more than 1,300 people dead and thousands arrested since the military coup in February," he criticized, calling for swift, decisive and concerted action from the international community.

"The international community must step up to protect civilians and hold perpetrators of grave violations accountable, ensuring humanitarian and health assistance is provided as a matter of urgency," he stressed.

To note, Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup, crippled by protests and heightened instability following a deadly military crackdown on its opponents, whom it calls "terrorists". Security forces have killed at least 1,303 people, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).

In addition, at least 354 coup opponents have also been sentenced to prison or death, according to the AAPP, including Aung San Suu Kyi's aide, Win Htein, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October.

The Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.