San suu kyi, a nobel laureate and leader of the national league for democracy in myanmar, was recently sentenced to seven more years in prison by a myanmar military court. this brings her total jail time to 33 years. ms suu kyi was convicted of 19 charges, including breaching covid public safety rules, importing walkie-talkies and violating the official secrets act. the trials were set behind closed-doors and her lawyers were banned from speaking to journalists.
Events occurred in february 2021, when the myanmar military seized power and triggered widespread demonstrations. this prompted the military to crack down on pro-democracy protesters and activists. the un security council called for ms suu kyi’s release last week, but china and russia abstained from the vote. amnesty international has said the “relentless legal assault” on ms suu kyi shows how the military has “weaponised the courts to bring politically motivated or farcical charges against opponents”.
Military’s violent seizure of power and subsequent crackdown on dissent has resulted in an estimated 2,600 people killed in myanmar. this has caused renewed fighting between separate ethnic rebel groups, a civilian force resisting the military and the junta rulers. the junta has also been accused of extrajudicial killings and launching airstrikes on civilian villages. ultimately, the military’s actions are intended to oppress any opposition and maintain their power in the country.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64123149?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
