The European Union has issued a strong condemnation of the additional prison term issued to Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former leader, who was ousted in February 2021.
An army-controlled court in the capital Naypyidaw declared her guilty of five counts of corruption and sentenced her to an extra seven years in prison. She had been accused of failing to follow rules in a case involving the rental of a helicopter for a minister, causing losses to the state.
The European Union criticised the verdict, as well as the sentencing of ex-president Win Myint, Suu Kyi's co-accused, to a total of 12 years in jail.
The EU "strongly condemns these trials, the verdicts and the general dismantling of democracy and the rule of law in Burma," a European Commission spokesperson said.
'An affront to justice and the rule of law
"These trials were carried forward with no respect for due legal procedure or necessary judicial guarantees and are a clear attempt to exclude democratically elected leaders from political life," the spokesperson added.
The United States also condemned the additional punishment for Aung San Suu Kyi. A State Department spokesman referred to it as an “affront to justice and the rule of law.”
The 77-year-old Nobel Prize laureate has already been found guilty of a total of 19 charges and will spend a combined 33 years behind bars.
Earlier, Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of violating the Official Secrets Act and election fraud, among other charges. She has been in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Prison for six months but is said to be in good health.
