BANGKOK, Dec 6 Reuters - Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced on Monday to two years in detention on charges of incitement and breaching coronaviruses in a case her supporters called politically motivated.
She was sentenced to four years in prison but the military junta leader reduced it two years' detention in her current location, state TV reported.
The conviction of the State Counsellor after a sham trial in secretive proceedings before a military-controlled court is nothing but politically motivated. It is not only about arbitrary denial of her freedom that it closes the door to political dialogue. The military is trying to remove all political opposition with the help of the courts. These cases can't give a legal veneer to the illegitimacy of the coup and military rule. The verdict against Aung San Suu Kyi will only deepen the rejection of the coup. It will take positions when needed is dialogue and a peaceful political settlement of this crisis. Today is a shameful day for the rule of law, justice and accountability in Myanmar. The global community must target sanctions against the military, their personnel, the businesses they own, and any known affiliates and intermediaries. The military regime of Myanmar has been trying to stifle opposition and suppress freedom and democracy after the sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The United Kingdom wants to release political prisoners, engage in dialogue and allow a return to democracy. The arbitrary detention of elected politicians only adds to the risk of further unrest. As a friendly neighbour, we sincerely hope that all parties in Myanmar will proceed from the long-term interests of the country, bridge their differences under the constitutional and legal framework, and continue to advance the hard-earned transition suitable for Myanmar's national conditions. The European Union strongly condemns this politically motivated verdict, which constitutes another major setback for democracy in Myanmar since the military coup on 1 February 2021. The European Union calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners as well as all those who have been arbitrarily detained since the coup. The charges were ludicrous and designed as retribution against popular leaders. The guilty verdicts and prison terms are no surprise.
The regime will not be convinced by this outcome. Since the coup, it's been clear that the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and the dozens of other detained MPs have been nothing more than an excuse by the junta to justify their illegal power grab.
The sentencing shows that the Association of South East Asian Nations ASEAN must hold the line against this illegal takeover, for the sake of its own credibility and future.
We continue our call for the UN to ban all junta representatives from its meetings, to prevent junta generals from traveling in the region, and to engage with the duly-elected National Unity Government. The court's farcical and corrupt decision is part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has seen more than 1,300 people killed and thousands arrested since the military coup in February.
There are many detainees with the profile of Aung San Suu Kyi who are currently facing a terrifying prospect of years behind bars for peacefully exercising their human rights. They must not be forgotten and left to their fate. Removing Aung San Suu Kyi from politics isn't a by-product of the coup, it's the whole reason for the coup.
Many in the current generation of generals had come to the conclusion that the reformist ex-generals of 10 years ago had gone too far in their political liberalisations and had made a mistake in allowing her back on the political scene.
She remains the most popular figure in Myanmar politics and may still be a powerful force in what's to come. The verdict is an unfavourable development as members of the international community including Japan demand an early restoration of the democratic political system in Myanmar, and we are concerned.