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Myanmar’s junta hands down long jail term to Suu Kyi’s aide

Friday, 29 October 2021 4:09 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 29 October 2021 4:51 PM ]

In this file photo, taken on August 17, 2017, Myanmar’s then-leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) is seen next to top aide Win Htein, at a funeral service for the National League for Democracy (NLD)’s former chairman Aung Shwe in Yangon, Myanmar. (By AFP)

A junta-appointed court in Myanmar has handed down a 20-year jail sentence to Win Htein, a close aide to the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The special court, in the capital, Naypyidaw, sentenced former member of parliament and speaker of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) Party Win Htein to 20 years in prison for alleged treason on Friday, his lawyer Myint Thwin told AFP.

Myanmar’s military toppled the elected government of Suu Kyi and arrested her and her associates on February 1 over accusations of voter fraud in favor of NLD in elections last November, triggering mass protests.

The military’s crackdown on anti-coup protests has left more than 1,200 people dead, according to a local monitoring group.

Myint Thwin said that his client was in good health and would appeal the court’s decision.

But according to the local media, the 79-year-old politician requires oxygen to help him breathe. He also suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and heart and thyroid diseases.

Win Htein, a long-time political detainee during decades of campaigning against army rule, was arrested three days after the latest coup.

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‘Ridiculous sentencing’

His daughter, Chit Suu Win Htein, said in a message to Reuters, “So this is as we expected. It’s not a surprise but it’s a sad and outrageous thing to hear about the ridiculous sentencing. Perpetrators of this injustice will be held accountable for this... Please hold on people! We will win!”

Win Htein is the first senior NLD member to be sentenced by the junta. Suu Kyi herself faces a string of charges, including illegally importing walkie-talkies and breaking coronavirus protocols, and if found guilty, could face decades in prison.

In her first court testimony on Tuesday, Suu Kyi denied a charge of incitement regarding her party publishing a letter following the coup urging international organizations not to cooperate with the ruling junta.

Media have been banned from attending her trial, and her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, has recently received a gag order.

The military takeover of power has triggered widespread international condemnation. Myanmar was ruled by the military from 1962 until 2011, when Suu Kyi ended the junta rule.

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