A special court in Myanmar’s capital sentenced the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to four years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions, as per the AP news report which quoting a legal official.
The sentencing comes 10 months after the country’s Military Junta declared an emergency, suspended the democratically elected government and arrested a host of political leaders including Suu Kyi. The military had declared it seized power because of widespread election fraud, external interference through members of the government and promised to resume elections when the conditions were conducive.
The sentencing was the first in a series of cases in which the 76-year-old Nobel laureate is being prosecuted since the army seized power on Feb. 1, preventing her National League for Democracy party from starting a second five-year term in office. The verdict in another case against her is expected next week.
If found guilty in all the cases she faces, she could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison. The court on Monday did not make clear whether Suu Kyi would be sent to prison for the two convictions or placed under house arrest, the legal official said. In her long struggle for democracy, she has served 15 years of house arrest starting in 1989.
On Sunday, Myanmar witnessed several protest marches against the military government and calling for the release of Suu Kyi and other detained members of her government. In mid-November, the military-appointed election commission announced it intended to prosecute Suu Kyi and 15 other senior political figures for alleged fraud in the last election, which could result in her party being dissolved.
Aayush Pal 
Balaji Subramanian 
Palak Dogra