A Myanmar court on Monday sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s deposed leader, to four more years in prison after she was found guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus disease (Covid-19) restrictions.
In December last year, Suu Kyi was convicted on two other charges for incitement and breaching Covid-19 rules while campaigning and was awarded a sentence of four years.
However, this got halved to two years and the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was allowed to serve her term under house arrest in the capital city of Naypyidaw.
Monday’s charge of possession walkie-talkies stems from when soldiers raided Suu Kyi’s residence on the day of the military coup on February 1, 2021, allegedly discovering the contraband equipment, according to news agency.
Right after Suu Kyi’s government was ousted by the junta, Myanmar witnessed widespread protests against the military rule with security forces resorting to mass detentions and bloody crackdowns. More than 1,400 civilians have lost their lives.
Suu Kyi is also on trial in nearly a dozen cases that carry combined maximum sentences of more than 100 years in prison. The ousted leader has denied all these charges.
On the other hand, Suu Kyi’s supporters have said that the charges are contrived to legitimise the military’s actions and prevent her return into politics.