MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2022) A military court in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, on Thursday sentenced deposed ex-leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and her former economic assistant, Australian citizen Sean Turnell, to three years in prison on charges of violating the law on state secrets.
The sentence was announced at a court hearing held inside the Naypyitaw detention center more than 18 months after their arrests, the Myanmar Now news portal reported.
Two ex-finance ministers, Kyaw Win and Soe Win, as well as Set Aung, a former deputy minister in the same ministry, were also sentenced to three years in prison each, the news portal added.
In February 2021, the military grabbed power in Myanmar using a constitutional mechanism for transferring powers in an emergency situation. The military's actions spurred major civil unrest, which resulted in over 1,600 casualties, with over 12,000 people arrested and 500,000 people internally displaced.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace prize laureate, served as state counselor of Myanmar, equivalent to a prime minister, until February 2021, when the country's military overthrew her government and put her, along with then-President Win Myint, under house arrest. Since then, Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison, including Thursday's sentence.
