Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced to 4 Years for Illegal Possession of Walkie-Talkie (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The military junta of the Myanmar coup has extended the sentence of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to a total of 6 years by sentencing her to 4 years in prison for illegal possession of a walkie-talkie.

According to the Associated Press on the 10th (local time), the Myanmar military court recognized the charges of illegal import and possession of a walkie-talkie against Suu Kyi during the sentencing trial held that day and sentenced her to 4 years in prison.

Last month, Suu Kyi was found guilty of two charges including incitement and violation of COVID-19 quarantine measures, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison, which was later reduced to 2 years.

As the military government has consecutively sentenced her to prison terms in two trials, it is expected that there is a high possibility that Suu Kyi will receive a long-term prison sentence in the upcoming sentencing trials.

The military, which staged a coup in February last year rejecting the general election results and ousted Suu Kyi, has charged her with 12 offenses including incitement, corruption, violation of COVID-19 regulations, and breach of official secrets act, and trials for other charges are expected to continue in the future.

If all these charges are found guilty, a prison sentence of over 100 years is possible. Prior to the first sentencing trial, The New York Times (NYT) reported that there was no doubt Suu Kyi would be found guilty and that if all charges were confirmed, she could face a maximum sentence of 102 years in prison.