YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's junta jailed ousted leader
Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday for four years for incitement against the military
and breaching
COVID rules, a government spokesman told AFP, the first of a
series of possible sentences that could see the Nobel laureate imprisoned for
decades.
اضافة اعلان
Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals ousted her
government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country's brief period of
democracy.
She has since been hit with a series of charges, including
violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud, and she
faces decades in jail if convicted on all counts.
On Monday Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years for incitement
against the military and another two years for breaching a natural disaster law
relating to COVID, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP by phone.
Former president Win Myint was also jailed for four years on
the same charges, he said, but added they would not yet be taken to prison.
"They will face other charges from the places where
they are staying now", he added, referring to their detention in the
capital of Naypyidaw but without giving further details.
Journalists have been barred from proceedings in the special
court in Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi's lawyers were recently banned from speaking to
the media.
In recent weeks, the trials of other ranking members of Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy have wrapped up, with the junta doling out
harsh sentences.
A former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail
this month, while a close Suu Kyi aide was jailed for 20.
'Retribution'
Amnesty International immediately condemned the sentences
against Suu Kyi.
"The harsh sentences handed down to Aung San Suu Kyi on
these bogus charges are the latest example of the military’s determination to
eliminate all opposition and suffocate freedoms in Myanmar," said Amnesty
deputy regional director for Campaigns Ming Yu Hah.
"The court’s farcical and corrupt decision is part of a
devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has seen more than 1,300
people killed and thousands arrested since the military coup in February."
International Crisis Group's Myanmar senior advisor Richard
Horsey also told AFP the sentences "were about retribution and a show of
power by the military".
"It would be surprising, though, if she were sent to
prison. More likely, she'll serve out this and subsequent terms at her house or
a regime 'guest house'."
The military, which has dominated life in Myanmar for
decades, has defended its coup, claiming fraud allegations in last year's
general election, which Suu Kyi's party won comfortably.
International pressure on the junta to restore democracy
swiftly has shown no sign of knocking the generals off course, and bloody
clashes with anti-coup protesters continue across the country.
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