Myanmar's ousted leader sentenced to four years in prison

Deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced today (6) in Myanmar (formerly Burma) to four years in prison for inciting popular unrest and violating covid-19 health regulations, a military junta source said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, "was sentenced to two years in prison under section 505(b) and two years in prison under the Law on Natural Disasters," said military junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun.

Former President Win Myint was sentenced to the same sentence, he added. The two former rulers, however, will not go to prison immediately.

"They still have to respond to other accusations from where they are currently located," he said.

Since the military coup on Feb. 1, the ousted leader has been the target of several charges, including incitement to corruption, sedition and electoral fraud.

She could face dozens of years in prison if she were to be convicted of the crimes she is accused of.

Journalists cannot attend the special court's trials, and Suu Kyi's lawyers were banned from giving interviews.

Since the coup d'état that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi, the army has violently repressed demonstrations against the regime, in actions that have led to the arrest of around 10,000 people and the death of at least 1,300 civilians, according to the non-governmental organization Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.