YANGON (AFP) – A Myanmar junta court convicted Aung San Suu Kyi of three criminal charges on Monday, sentencing her to four years in prison in the latest of several cases against the ousted civilian leader.
The Nobel laureate has been imprisoned since February 1, when her government was deposed in an early morning coup, effectively ending Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy.
According to a local monitoring group, the generals’ power grab sparked widespread dissent, which security forces sought to quell with mass detentions and bloody crackdowns that resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 civilians.
According to a source familiar with the case, the 76-year-old was found guilty of two charges related to illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, as well as one of violating coronavirus rules.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, a Junta spokesman, confirmed the verdicts and sentences and told AFP that Suu Kyi would remain under house arrest while other cases against her are heard.
The walkie-talkie charges stem from a raid on her home on the day of the coup, during which soldiers allegedly discovered the contraband equipment.
The United States condemned Suu Kyi’s “unjust arrest, conviction, and sentencing,” which it described as a “affront to justice and the rule of law.”
“We call on the regime to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and all those who have been wrongfully imprisoned, including other democratically elected leaders,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
The sentence handed down on Monday adds to the four-year sentence she received in December for incitement and violating Covid-19 rules while campaigning.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing commuted the sentence to two years in prison and said she could serve her time in Naypyidaw under house arrest.
Suu Kyi would be unable to participate in new elections, which the military authorities have promised to hold by August 2023, if she is sentenced to a total of six years in prison.
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