Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s deposed civilian leader, was sentenced to an additional four years in prison on Monday, the second round of rulings against the Nobel laureate. According to a person familiar with the court proceedings, Suu Kyi was found guilty of various offenses, including possession of unregistered walkie-talkies. Suu Kyi, 76, served as Myanmar’s state counselor and de facto leader before being detained and charged by the military in a coup 11 months ago. She faces almost a dozen counts with cumulative potential penalties of more than 100 years. They include several counts of corruption (with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years), violating the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign, incitement, illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, and violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act (with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years). She has denied all allegations, and her supporters claim the charges against her are politically motivated. The sentence handed down on Monday includes two years in prison for violating Myanmar’s export-import law by possessing the walkie-talkies and one year for violating the communications law.
Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to four years of imprisonment
According to CNN, the two sentences will run concurrently. Suu Kyi was also sentenced to two years in prison for disobeying the natural disaster management law’s coronavirus provisions. According to sources close to the trial, Suu Kyi was first sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of inciting and two years after being found guilty of breaking section 25 of the Disaster Management Law by a Zabuthiri Court in Naypyidaw on December 7. The military lowered the four-year punishment to two years later that day. The military also commuted Myanmar’s deposed President Win Myint’s four-year prison sentence. Myanmar’s military dictatorship has tried to keep details about the trials, which have been kept secret. A gag order was imposed on her legal team in October, preventing them from speaking with the media.
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