Ousted Myanmar leader Suu Kyi sentenced to four more years in prison

A court in Myanmar sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions, a legal official has confirmed.

Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges and given a four-year prison sentence, which was then halved by the head of the military-installed government.

The cases are among approximately 12 brought against the 76-year-old former leader, since the army seized power last February, ousting her elected government and arresting top members of her National League for Democracy party. If found guilty of all the charges, she could be sentenced to in excess of 100 years in prison.

The United Nations called again for the release of Suu Kyi and all those detained arbitrarily since last February’s coup. “All political prisoners must be released, and clearly, this is not a step in the right direction,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Monday’s verdict in the court in the capital, Naypyitaw, was conveyed by a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of retribution by the authorities, who have restricted the release of information about Suu Kyi’s trials.

Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in a 2020 general election, but the military claimed there was widespread electoral fraud, an assertion that independent poll watchers doubt.

Since her first guilty verdict, Suu Kyi has been attending court hearings in prison clothes, which were provided by the authorities. The hearings are closed to the media and spectators and the prosecutors do not comment. Her lawyers, who had been a source of information on the proceedings, were served with gag orders in October.