Myanmar’s military junta has sentenced the former leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years of imprisonment for incitement and violating Covid-19 restrictions, drawing condemnations from the European Union, the United Nations and several others who say that the verdict is politically motivated.
Myanmar’s state TV reported that the 76-year-old former leader is set to serve two years in jail at an undisclosed location, a sentence reduced from the original four years after a pardon from the country’s military chief.
The court in the capital Naypyidaw delivered the four-year imprisonment verdict against Aung San Suu Kyi after the numerous cases brought against her. Her lawyer had previously described the charges as “extremely absurd.”
UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet condemned the verdict in strong words, saying: “The conviction of the state counsellor following a sham trial in secretive proceedings before a military-controlled court is nothing but politically motivated.”
The European Union’s top diplomat also condemned the verdict, describing it as politically motivated and asked for the release of several political prisoners in Myanmar.
Aung San Suu Kyi was deposed by the country’s military in a coup in February this year. She has since been held prisoner at an unknown location. Little is known about the charges brought against her and the proceedings of the court – the military leadership has put up an apparatus in place that makes it almost impossible to attain information on Aung San Suu Kyi.
The “incitement” that the former leader was sentenced for is reportedly based on an online statement by Aung San Suu Kyi following the coup where she asks the international organizations not to work with the junta. She is also charged for breaking the Covid-19 restrictions while rallying for last year’s elections.
Analysts describe these charges as an attempt to remove her as a political threat. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won a thumping victory in the last elections, but the military refused to accept the results. She was then deposed and thrown into jail for an indefinite period of time.
The ousted leader already spent 15 years of her life campaigning against the military. If the charges levelled against her are proven this time, she could face life imprisonment.