Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to four years in prison, in the first in a series of verdicts that could jail her for life.
Aung San Suu Kyi (left) and Win Myint (right) during their first court appearance in Naypyidaw on 24 May, 2021, since the military detained them in a coup on 1 February. Photo: Handout / Myanmar Ministry of Information via AFP
She was found guilty on charges of inciting dissent and breaking Covid-19 rules under a natural disasters law.
Suu Kyi faces 11 charges in total, all of which she has denied.
She has been under house arrest since February when the military launched a coup, toppling her elected civilian government and detaining leaders.
It is not clear when or if Suu Kyi will be placed in prison.
Co-defendant Win Myint, the former president and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party ally, was also jailed on Monday for four years under the same charges.
Suu Kyi 'struggling'
Suu Kyi, 76, has been slapped with an array of charges, including multiple counts of corruption and violating the official secrets act.
The entire process has been widely condemned as unjust.
In one case, Suu Kyi was convicted of violating Covid-19 restrictions for waving at a group of supporters during last year's election campaign while wearing a mask and face shield.
In the other she was found guilty of inciting unrest for a statement calling for public opposition to the coup, put out by her party after she had already been taken into custody.
Suu Kyi's lawyers, who had been the sole source of information on the legal proceedings, have also been served with gag orders forbidding them from releasing information.
Little has been seen or heard of her apart from her brief court appearances
A spokesperson for the newly formed National Unity Government, a group made up of pro-democracy figures and opponents of the coup, had earlier told the BBC Suu Kyi was struggling.
"She is not okay ... military generals are preparing for 104 years of sentences for her in prison. They want her to die in prison," Dr Sasa said.
The military had seized power alleging voter fraud in general elections held last year in which the NLD won by a landslide.
However, independent election observers have said the elections were largely free and fair. The charges against Suu Kyi have been widely criticised as politically motivated.
The coup triggered widespread demonstrations and Myanmar's military has cracked down on pro-democracy protesters, activists and journalists.
Suu Kyi is one of more than 10,600 people to have been arrested by the junta since February, and at least 1303 others killed in the demonstrations, according to the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
"The harsh sentences handed down to Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the military's determination to eliminate all opposition and suffocate freedoms in Myanmar," Amnesty deputy regional director for campaigns Ming Yu Hah said in a statement.
- BBC