A well-informed source reported that a Myanmar court has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 6 years in prison after she was convicted in 4 corruption cases, after she was sentenced to 11 years in prison in other cases.
Sochi, 77, a Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition to Myanmar's military rule, has been charged with at least 18 counts ranging from graft to election irregularities, with maximum sentences totaling nearly 190 years.
The source said that Sochi - who described the accusations as absurd and denied them all - was convicted on Monday of misusing funds from the Daw Khin Kei Foundation - an organization she founded to promote health and education - to build a house, and rent government-owned land at a discount.
Sochi, who is held in solitary confinement in a prison in the capital, Naypyidaw, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in other cases.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since last year when the army ousted an elected government led by the Sochi Party after winning a general election, and the army launched a crackdown on dissent.
I condemn the unjust sentence of Aung San Suu Kyi to an additional six years of detention, and call on the regime in #Myanmar to immediately and unconditionally release her, as well as all political prisoners, and respect the will of the people.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 15, 2022
International condemnation
Tens of thousands have been imprisoned and many more tortured, beaten or killed in what the United Nations has described as crimes against humanity.
The international community imposed sanctions on the military and dismissed the secret Sochi trials as farcical.
A US State Department spokesman said this ruling constitutes an "affront to justice and the rule of law," calling for "the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all unjustly detained, including democratically elected representatives."
In turn, European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell denounced Aung San Suu Kyi's "unfair" condemnation by Myanmar's military junta.
On Twitter, he called on the regime "to release her immediately and unconditionally, as well as all political prisoners, and to respect the will of the people."
"It's a blatant infringement of her rights, and part of a campaign to eliminate her and her party, the National League for Democracy, for good," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Asian affairs at Human Rights Watch.
Sochi is the daughter of the leader who led Myanmar's campaign for independence from British colonialism, and ruled the country for 5 years during which the country underwent temporary reforms before being forced to step down from power in a February 2021 coup.