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Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to four years in prison on the first two of 11 charges currently leveled against her.
According to BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head, Suu Kyi was found guilty and convicted of two charges — one of inciting unrest and another of violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during last year's election — during a closed-door trial.
The court's decision was announced on Monday afternoon, local time, after the verdict had been deferred by a week. The verdict is still pending on the other nine charges that Suu Kyi stands accused of, including the possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies, violating an anti-corruption law, and misappropriating funds. However, critics of the military regime believe that these are simply trumped-up charges meant to consolidate the junta's power.
According to The New York Times, Suu Kyi could face a jail term of a maximum of 102 years in prison if she is convicted of all 11 charges. The trial has been held in a closed-door setting, reported The Times, with no journalists or diplomats being allowed into the courtroom. Suu Kyi's testimony has also not been made public.
Along with Suu Kyi, deposed President Win Myint was sentenced to four years' jail on the same charges, while Naypyidaw mayor Myo Aung was given a two-year prison term on an incitement charge, per local news outlet Myanmar Now.
Suu Kyi's sentencing comes ten months after the military junta swept to power in an early morning coup on February 1 this year, rounding up top Myanmar politicians. Following the coup, clashes between the military and protesters reached a violent crescendo in March during a particularly bloody day of protests that coincided with the country's Armed Forces Day. In June, the fighting transitioned into urban guerrilla warfare, with firefights between the Myanmar militia and the junta breaking out in the streets of cities like Mandalay.
Activists in Myanmar said the civilian death toll from fighting the coup topped 1,000 in August.
It is at present unclear when Suu Kyi will start serving her sentence. She previously spent close to 15 years under house arrest between 1989 to 2010 for attempting to bring democratic elections to Myanmar. For her efforts, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1991 while under detainment.
