Bachelet deplores Nobel Prize sentence to four years in prison

Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, was sentenced for inciting a protest, in this regard the UN commissioner said “It is not only an arbitrary denial of her freedom, but closes another door to political dialogue.”

GENEVA – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, regretted on Monday the 6th the conviction and sentence of the Minister of State of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, to four years in prison , by a court controlled by the military.

The conviction “after a mock trial in secret proceedings before a court controlled by the military has nothing but political motives,” said Bachelet, and called for the release of the civilian leader of that Southeast Asian country, also known by her former name of Burma

“It is not just an arbitrary denial of their freedom, but it closes another door to political dialogue,” added the UN human rights officer.

In carrying out a coup on February 1, the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, arrested Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and numerous members of their National League for Democracy (NLD).

Since then, the Tatmadaw has arbitrarily detained more than 10,000 of its opponents, and at least 175 people, including many members of the NLD, have died in custody, probably due to ill-treatment or torture.

The high commissioner called for the immediate release of Aun Sung Suu Kyi and all those arbitrarily detained, in the statement released by her office in this Swiss city.

Hours after the Burmese leader’s sentence was known, state television announced that her sentence was reduced to two years, for a partial pardon granted by the head of the military junta that has governed the country since February.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, was convicted of incitement to protest, once her party asked to oppose the coup, and for violating the rules on covid-19, two of the 11 charges that have been brought against her. since she was arrested in February, and that she could be kept behind bars for the rest of her life.

Last November, two former ministers from one of Myanmar’s states, Than Naing, and Nan Khin Htwe Myint, were sentenced to 90 and 75 years in prison, respectively, on corruption charges.

“The army is trying to instrumentalize the courts to eliminate all political opposition,” Bachelet said. “But these cases cannot give a legal veneer to the illegitimacy of the coup and the military government,” he added.

In his opinion, “this verdict against Aung San Suu Kyi will only deepen the rejection of the coup and cause positions to harden, when what is needed is dialogue and a peaceful and political solution to this crisis.”

The leader, daughter of Aung San, Burma’s driver towards independence from the United Kingdom, spent 15 years in prison under another military dictatorship, until 2010, and a decade later the uniformed men decided again to displace civil power, which has sparked civic protests and even armed resistance.

The human rights organization Amnesty International criticized the accusations as “false” and said in a statement that the verdict is “the latest example of the determination of the military junta to eliminate any opposition and stifle the freedoms of Myanmar.”

The special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, charged with seeking a diplomatic route to resolve the crisis, was denied permission to visit the leader in October. In response, General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military junta, was banned from attending the meetings of that group of 10 countries.

Bachelet also strongly condemned the “cruel and utterly reprehensible” attack on Sunday 5 in Kyimyindaing Township in Yangon (the former capital), where security forces used a truck to ram unarmed protesters and then fired on the group with live ammunition. .

According to local press reports, at least five people died.