Four years in jail against Burmese leader deposed by the military, Suu Kyi, in her first sentence

The former Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced this Monday to four years in jail for inciting riots and failing to comply with the measures applied to contain the covid-19 pandemic, in the first verdict against the Nobel Peace Prize winner since she was arrested after the coup on February 1.

Suu Kyi, considered the ‘de facto’ leader of the deposed government, has always denied the charges against her, as has her surroundings, who have denounced the poor prison conditions. Suu Kyi’s lawyers say that weeks ago the military junta imposed a ban on lawyers from speaking to the media.

In addition to Suu Kyi, the Naipyidó court has also sentenced former President Win Myint to another four years in prison and for the same crimes. For his part, the former mayor of the capital Myo Aung has received a two-year prison sentence for incitement, according to the Myanmar Now portal.

Suu Kyi herself, 76, has several open judicial fronts that could translate into prison sentences of several decades, despite pressure from Western governments and calls from human rights organizations.

The coup d’état plunged Myanmar into a deep political, social and economic crisis, and opened a spiral of violence with new civilian militias that have exacerbated the guerrilla war that the country has been experiencing for decades.

The Army justifies the coup by an alleged massive fraud during the general elections of November 2020, the result of which has been annulled and in which Suu Kyi’s party swept away, as it did in 2015, with the endorsement of international observers.

At least 1,303 people have died as a result of the brutal repression by police and soldiers since the coup, who have shot to kill peaceful protesters, according to the daily reports of the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, which also figures at more than 10,000 opponents arrested, including Suu Kyi.