Ousted Myanmar leader sentenced to four years in jail, months after being toppled by military

On Monday, December 6, she was found guilty on charges of inciting dissent and breaking Covid rules under a natural disasters law and now faces 11 charges in total, all of which she has denied.

She has been under house arrest since February when the military launched a coup, toppling her elected civilian government and detaining leaders.

It is not clear when or if Ms. Suu Kyi will be placed in prison.

Co-defendant Win Myint, the former president and Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party ally, was also jailed on Monday for four years under the same charges.

Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for the newly formed National Unity Government, a group made up of pro-democracy figures and opponents of the coup, said;

“She is not OK… military generals are preparing for 104 years of sentences for her in prison. They want her to die in prison,” he said.

The military had seized power alleging voter fraud in general elections held last year in which the NLD won by a landslide.

However, independent election observers have said the elections were largely free and fair.

The coup triggered widespread demonstrations and protests and Myanmar’s military has cracked down on pro-democracy protesters, activists, and journalists, killing over 1000 protesters according to Amnesty International.