A court in Myanmar has sentenced the country’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in jail, according to media reports.
A government spokesman told the AFP news agency on Monday that Aung San Suu Kyi received two years imprisonment for incitement and two years for violating COVID-19 rules.
Zaw Min Tun said former President Win Myint was also jailed for four years under the same charges.
He said the pair will not be taken to prison yet.
“They will face other charges from the places where they are staying now” in the capital Naypyidaw, he added, without giving further details.
Reuters and the Associated Press, citing sources familiar with the proceedings, also said Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint were sentenced to four years each.
Monday’s ruling is the first in a dozen cases Myanmar’s military has brought against Aung San Suu Kyi.
Other cases against the Nobel Peace Prize laureate include multiple charges of corruption, violations of a state secrets act, and a telecoms law that altogether carry a maximum sentence of more than a century in prison.
Aung San Suu Kyi, detained as the generals seized control of the country on February 1, denies all the charges.
Supporters of the 76-year-old leader say the cases are baseless and designed to end her political career and tie her up in legal proceedings while the military consolidates power. (AlJazeera)