Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to jail for four years for provoking dissent against military
Suu Kyi is among the 10,600 people who have been arrested by the Army since February.
A Myanmar court on Monday sentenced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in jail for provoking dissent against the military and breaching Covid-19 rules, AFP reported.
“Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years imprisonment under [Myanmar law’s] section 505[b][punishment for making statements to cause unrest] and two years’ imprisonment under natural disaster law,” said Myanmar military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun.
According to the non-profit organisation Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Suu Kyi is one of more than 10,600 people who have been arrested by the Myanmar Army since February, The Guardian reported.
Suu Kyi, who has been charged in dozens of criminal cases, has been under house arrest since the military coup in February. Myanmar’s Army took power in the country months after the victory of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy in the national elections in November 2020.
The country’s military refused to accept the government, citing unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. It was also announced that the coup was the result of the government’s failure to delay the November 2020 election despite the outbreak of the coronavirus. The military’s takeover drew criticism from several foreign governments.
On November 17 this, Myanmar’s Union Election Commission said that it will prosecute Suu Kyi and 15 other politicians for alleged fraud in elections.
The new election commission alleged that they compelled local election officials to obstruct military polling booths and forced officials to approve voting lists that included ineligible voters.
Earlier that month, Myanmar’s military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, had declared himself prime minister six months after seizing power from the elected government. He also announced that a national state of emergency would be extended for another two years.