New Delhi: Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years of jail term on Monday, a government spokesperson told AFP. Suu Kyi was ousted after a military coup in the country in February.
Suu Kyi was running a civilian government in Myanmar and was charged under multiple cases including incitement and breach of Covid-19 protocol by the Junta. According to Al Jazeera, other charges against Suu Kyi include corruption and violation of the State secrets act.
Suu Kyi is a human rights activist as well as a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. She served as the State Counsellor of Myanmar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs before being ousted by the military.
The Junta (Myanmar Military) had claimed the reason for staging the coup was that they suspected the November 2020 election to be rigged. While the 76-year-old leader’s supporters claim the charges to be political vendetta, the Junta says that the legal procedure is being conducted by an independent judge.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since February when the military took over which sparked protests across the country to restore democracy. The conflict between the Suu Kyi supporters and the Junta has led to massive bloodshed in the country.
The United Nations has also called for Myanmar to halt and hold accountable anyone using excessive force against the unarmed protestors. The reaction from the UN has come after a car rammed into civilians killing five of them, reported Reuters.