A Myanmar court has sentenced two members of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party to 90 years and 75 years in prison after finding them guilty of corruption, his lawyer said.
Tuesday’s sentence is the most severe sentence yet for any of the dozens of members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, who were arrested after the military seized power on February 1.
It came on the same day that an American journalist was jailed myanmar His lawyer said he had already been charged with three charges in addition to two more for more than five months.
One of the new charges filed against Danny Fenster is under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The law criminalizes contacts with officially designated “terrorist” groups and provides for prison terms of three to seven years.
The other charge, commonly referred to as sedition, under section 124(a) of the Penal Code, is punishable by imprisonment of seven to 20 years if convicted.
Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24 as he was about to fly to the United States to see his family. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online news magazine based in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.
On Tuesday, Kayin State’s former planning minister Than Naying was convicted by a state court on six corruption charges and sentenced to 90 years in prison, including labor, lawyer Zaw Min Huling said.
The second defendant, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, 67, former chief minister of Kayin state and a prominent member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on each of five charges, Jao Min Huling said.
Myanmar has been mired in violence and civil unrest since the military seized power. Protesters against the takeover who faced beatings, shootings and arrests have rapidly turned into armed resistance, and insurgents are active in many parts of the country.
Aung San Suu Kyi is also being tried on corruption and other criminal charges, which her supporters say were fabricated to defame her and legitimize the military’s seizure of power. Virtually any conviction would prevent him from participating in the elections, which the military-installed government has promised to hold by 2023.
Nan Khin Htwe Myin, a member of the party’s Central Executive Committee, is a veteran pro-democracy activist who was first arrested in 1974 during a student protest under the previous military government. He was arrested at least twice before winning elections to the state parliament in 2012 and 2015, after which he was appointed a minister of state. She is known for being a close aide of Aung San Suu Kyi.
He was detained by troops and placed under house arrest on 2 February, where he made a live telecast for civil disobedience against the army’s takeover. After this he was arrested on 8 February.
Nan Khin Htwe Myin’s corruption charges included alleged misappropriation of state funds for medical treatment after he was injured in a car accident in 2017.
In four other cases, he and co-defendant Than Naying were charged with malpractice and misappropriation of funds.
Both had already been convicted of inciting unrest after the military takeover and were sentenced to two years in prison.
His lawyer said Nang Khin Htwe Myint Kayin is in good health at a prison in the state capital Hapa-en, but has lost some weight.
“The chief minister gave a message to the people to always remain united, form a democratic federal union and participate together in overcoming the evils of the army,” the lawyer said.