Myanmar Military Regime Adds To Four Years In Prison, US Urges Aung San Suu Kyi To Be Released Immediately

Aung San Suu Kyi. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Department of State)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) has asked Myanmar's military regime to "immediately release" opposition leader and former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, after she was again convicted and sentenced.

Suu Kyi was sentenced Monday to another four years in prison on charges related to violating COVID-19 restrictions and possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies. The ousted leader was previously sentenced to two years in prison on other charges.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Suu Kyi's arrest, detention and sentencing was an affront to justice and the rule of law in Myanmar.

He called on the regime to release not just Suu Kyi, but all those who had been unjustly detained, including other democratically elected leaders.

"The regime's bogus judicial process to attack its political opponents, the rule of law, and the continued use of violence against the Burmese people only underscore the urgency of restoring Burma's path to democracy," he told reporters, using the US Government's choice of name, citing Anadolu Agency January 11.

"The Burmese people and we have seen this consistently, continue to demonstrate that they do not want to spend another day under a military dictatorship, and we will continue to support them," said Price.

Suu Kyi is known to face seven more cases. His National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government was toppled in a military coup on February 1 last year, after making headway in the November 2020 National Elections.

Myanmar's military coup was met by mass civil unrest as people protested against Suu Kyi's ouster and the return of military rule. The regime cracked down on protests as the United Nations has repeatedly warned the country has fallen into civil war.

According to the Myanmar-based Aid Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), some 1,459 people have died, while more than 8,500 demonstrators have been arrested in the military's brutal crackdown.

The Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to unify 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.