Lagatar24 Desk
Yangon, Dec.6: A Myanmar court sentenced former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison on Monday for encouraging dissent against the military and violating Covid rules.
Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years in prison under section 505(b) of the Penal Code and two years in prison under the Natural Disaster Law, according to junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.
Former President Win Myint was sentenced to four years in prison on the same accusations, he added, adding that they will not be transported to prison until later.
He said, without providing any specifics, that “they would face other charges from the areas where they are currently staying” in the capital, Naypyidaw.
Suu Kyi, 76, has been held since the generals deposed her administration in the early hours of February 1, thereby ending Myanmar’s brief democratic period. Since then, the junta has added a host of new charges, including official secrets violations, corruption, and electoral fraud. If convicted on all counts, the Nobel Laureate may face decades in prison.
Journalists have been forbidden from attending sessions at the military-built capital’s special court, and Suu Kyi’s lawyers have recently been barred from speaking to the press.
More than 1,300 people have been killed and over 10,000 arrested in a crackdown on dissent since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.