The EU’s top diplomat on Monday (December 6) condemned the imprisonment of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, calling it a “politically motivated sentence”.
“The European Union once again urgently calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and all persons who have been arbitrarily detained since the coup,” Joseph Borel said in a statement.
Earlier on Monday, a court ruled by the Myanmar military imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi for four years on charges of inciting and violating coronavirus restrictions. This drew international condemnation of what some critics called a “false trial”. Later the sentence was reduced to two years.
An unnamed source said that President Win Myint was also sentenced to four years’ imprisonment because the court issued a verdict for the first time in a number of cases against Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders. He was sentenced by the military on January 1. overthrow. February.
Since the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government sparked widespread protests and sparked international concerns about the end of tentative political reforms after decades of military rule, Myanmar has been in turmoil.
After the coup, the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was detained along with most of the senior leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Others are abroad or in hiding.
Michelle Bachelet, the head of human rights affairs of the United Nations, said in a comment consistent with the EU and other countries: “After a false trial in a secret lawsuit in a military-controlled court, the conviction of the State Counsellor was completely out of the question. Is politically motivated.”
A military spokesperson did not respond to Reuters’ attempts to contact him for comment on the verdict, which was widely reported in the domestic media.
The military did not provide details of where Aung San Suu Kyi was detained, and it is unclear whether the verdict means that her situation will change immediately.
CFailed trial
The trial in the capital Naypyidaw is no longer open to the media, and the military government’s public information media did not mention the proceedings. Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers are prohibited from communicating with the media and the public.
Aung San Suu Kyi faces more than a dozen cases, including multiple allegations of corruption and violations of the State Secrets Act, Telecommunications Act, and COVID-19 regulations. The maximum penalties for these cases add up to more than a century.
Aung San Suu Kyi and co-defendant Win Min were sentenced to two years in prison for incitement and two years in prison for violating the coronavirus agreement. They denied these allegations.
According to human rights organizations, Western countries demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and criticized the violence since the coup, in which about 1,300 people were killed.
The unfair conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi by the military government and the suppression of elected officials are further insults to democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar. I call on the regime to stop violence, respect the wishes of the people, and release those who have been unjustly detained.
-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 6, 2021
Liz Truss, the foreign minister of the former colonial power, said that Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence was “another appalling attempt by the Burmese military government to stifle the opposition and suppress freedom and democracy.”
China, which has long had good relations with the military and Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, urged all parties to “bridging differences,” while Japan, Myanmar’s main investor, said the ruling was “unfavorable development.”
The spokesperson of Myanmar’s shadow civilian government, which was established after the coup, called on the international community to strengthen sanctions against Myanmar’s military rulers.
After the coup, the United States, the European Union and other countries imposed a series of sanctions on senior military leaders and companies related to the military.
Mark Farmaner, head of the pressure group Burma Campaign UK, said Monday’s decision should prompt more action.
“The government that issued a statement condemning Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence should ask itself whether they are doing everything they can to help the release of political prisoners in Myanmar? I can assure you that the answer is no,” he said.
‘MMost popular’
Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi said the accusations against her were baseless and aimed to end her political career and involve her in legal proceedings while the military consolidates power.
It is widely expected that she will be sentenced to prison.
The military government stated that Aung San Suu Kyi is undergoing due process in an independent court led by judges appointed by her own government.
The daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for many years for opposing military rule, but was released in 2010 and led her National League for Democracy to an overwhelming victory in the 2015 general election.
Her party won again in November last year, but the military said the vote was rigged and seized power a few weeks later. The election commission rejected the military’s complaint.
Historian and author Tan Min Ou said that the leaders of the military coup believed that their predecessor, who introduced reforms more than a decade ago, had done too much to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to return to politics.
“She is still the most popular (person) in Myanmar politics and may still be a powerful force in the future,” he told Reuters.
But Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch Asia, said that the tougher criminal charges that Aung San Suu Kyi has yet to face are likely to ensure that she “is no longer allowed to be a free woman.”
