New Delhi: The civilian leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi who was expelled from power in a coup this year has been convicted of two charges she faces two years in prison after being handed a four-year sentence that was quickly cut in half.
The verdict was on charges of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions to cement a dramatic reversal of fortunes for the Nobel Peace laureate.
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Aung San Suu Kyi, spent who spent 15 years under house arrest for resisting the Southeast Asian nation’s generals but then agreed to work alongside them when they promised to start democratic rule. But Suu Kyi was arrested on Feb 1 the day the army seized power, claiming massive voting fraud in last year’s election.
But the army take over was met with fierce resistance, so too was the verdict, including a spirited protest in the central city of Mandalay, where demonstrators chanted slogans and sang songs popularized during pro-democracy protests in 1988 reported AP.
India on Tuesday said it is "disturbed" by the recent verdicts relating to Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others, saying the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld.
"We are disturbed at the recent verdicts. As a neighbouring democracy, India has been consistently supportive of the democratic transition in Myanmar," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said.
"We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld. Any development that undermines these processes and accentuates differences is a matter of deep concern," he said.
Bagchi was responding to a media query about the proceedings against Aung Sang Suu Kyi and others in Myanmar.
"It is our sincere hope that keeping their nation's future in mind, efforts would be made by all sides to advance the path of dialogue," he said.