A court in Myanmar, a country ruled by a military junta, has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratically elected leader and opposition figure to seven years in prison for corruption. This brings the total sentence for Suu Kyi, 77, to 33 years, including three years of hard labour, according to a source familiar with the case. Suu Kyi led Myanmar for five years before being ousted in a 2021 coup and has previously been convicted of multiple offenses, including electoral fraud and receiving bribes. Her lawyers have said that the charges against her are politically motivated and she has denied all of them. Suu Kyi is being held in solitary confinement at a prison in the capital, Naypyidaw, and her trials have been held behind closed doors with limited information reported by state media and a gag order imposed on her lawyers.
Since the military seized power in Myanmar two years ago, freedoms and rights in the country have significantly deteriorated, with state executions returning and thousands of people arrested for protesting against military rule. Human rights groups have expressed concern about the punishment of pro-democracy activists in the country. In response to the situation, the United Nations Security Council called on the military junta to release all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi and former President Win Mint, in its first resolution on Myanmar since the country’s independence.