Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to jail for four years. She was convicted of offenses under a natural disasters law and provoking discord.
Ms Suu Kyi is charged with 11 counts, which have been widely criticized as unjust. She has denied every charge.
She has been imprisoned since a military takeover in February, which overthrew her elected civilian administration.
It is uncertain when, or if, Ms Suu Kyi will be imprisoned. She is being detained somewhere secret.
On Monday, Win Myint, the co-defendant and former president of the National League for Democracy (NLD) alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to four years in prison on similar charges.
Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, slammed the “fraudulent trial,” calling it “only adding to people’s wariness of military rule.”
The UK’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, urged Myanmar to set all political detainees free and return to democracy.
“The arbitrary imprisonment of elected officials risks aggravating the situation,” she added.
The charges were dismissed as “bogus” by rights group Amnesty, which said it was the “latest illustration of the military’s desire to eliminate all opposition and suffocate liberties in Myanmar.”
On December 14, 2021, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi will appear in court to face charges of illegal walkie-talkies when she appears for her next hearing.
She has been indicted on a slew of charges, including several counts of bribery and the violation of the official secrets act.
Ms Suu Kyi got convicted due to the violation of Covid restrictions while campaigning during last year’s election. She was seen waving to supporters with a mark and a face shield.
During the case against her, she was convicted of “inciting upheaval” for a message calling for public outrage during the coup, which had been released by her party after she had already been arrested.
The team of lawyers representing Aung San Suu Kyi was also served with a slew of orders, including gag orders that forbid them from disclosing any information. Apart from her frequent court hearings, little is known about her.
A representative of the newly formed National Unity Government, a group made up of pro-democracy figures and opponents of the coup, had previously told BBC News that Aung San Suu Kyi was struggling.
Senior military authorities took control of the country last year, alleging widespread election fraud in previous general elections. However, according to critics, the elections were largely free and fair.
The takeover has sparked mass protests and the Myanmar military has persecuted pro-democracy protestors, activists, and journalists.
According to the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 10,600 individuals have been arrested by the junta since February and at least 1,303 others have perished.