A Myanmar court on Monday sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison, according to sources familiar with the court proceedings.
She was accused of breaking coronavirus restrictions and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies. She allegedly broke telecommunications and import-export laws about walkie-talkies.
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Journalists and members of the public were excluded from the trial, so Suu Kyi’s reaction is unknown. Twelve legal cases have been brought against Suu Kyi, 76, and experts believe she could face jail time totaling more than 100 years.
In a first verdict in December, she was given four years in prison for inciting unrest and violating COVID-19 restrictions. Myanmar’s military rulers then reduced her sentence to two years.
It is unclear whether Suu Kyi will serve time in prison or be allowed to remain under house arrest. She was arrested on Feb. 1, 2021, hours before the military overthrew the country’s democratically elected civilian leaders.
Observers and rights experts call her case a show trial and suspect the military junta wants to silence her long-term. She already spent 15 years under house arrest previously and became the de facto head of government in 2016.
She has been accused of a range of offenses including violating a state secrets law and foreign trading laws. For waving to supporters, she was charged with breaching coronavirus restrictions, even though she had on a face mask and a protective visor.
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the coup. The junta has used brutal force to suppress protests and resistance movements.
According to prisoners’ aid organization AAPP, more than 1,400 people have been killed and around 11,000 arrested.
