India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that it it was disturbed about Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi being sentenced to four years in jail for provoking dissent against the military and breaching Covid-19 rules.

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.

On Tuesday, India said that it has been “consistently supportive of the democratic transition in Myanmar”. In a statement, the foreign ministry called for the rule of law and democratic processes to be upheld in the country.

“Any development that undermines these processes and accentuates differences is a matter of deep concern,” the Indian government statement said. “It is our sincere hope that keeping their nation’s future in mind, efforts would be made by all sides to advance the path of dialogue.”

The Myanmar military had staged the coup in February after it refused to accept the elected 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.

According to non-profit organisation Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Suu Kyi is one of more than 10,600 people who had been arrested by the Myanmar Army since February.

On November 17, 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 said it was acting on allegations that the political leaders had compelled local poll officials to obstruct military polling booths and forced them to approve voting lists that included ineligible voters.

Also read:

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to jail for four years for provoking dissent against military