YANGON: A court in army-ruled Myanmar on Tuesday sentenced opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 months in detention, a verdict that drew condemnation abroad and will keep her off the political stage ahead of next year’s elections.
The court handed down a three-year prison term for violation of an internal security law. But that was immediately halved on the orders of the military government, which said the 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate could serve the time in her Yangon home.
Myanmar’s home minister, Maj. Gen. Muang Oo, told the court moments after the verdict it had taken into account that Suu Kyi was the daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San as well as “the need to preserve community peace and tranquility” as the country prepares for multiparty elections next year.
The UN Security Council met Tuesday to discuss the Suu Kyi verdict, with Western nations pushing for a statement condemning it. “The United States will join with others in introducing a statement ... that condemns the conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi, that calls for her immediate release and ability to participate in the political process,” US Ambassador Susan Rice said.
The verdict drew criticism from leaders around the world. Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown called it “monstrous.” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said it was “brutal and unjust.”
The 27-country European Union is preparing sanctions against Myanmar that include restricting trade with state-owned firms and barring top junta officials from entering the bloc, Sweden said.
Critics say the case was fabricated by the military to keep Suu Kyi out of circulation ahead of the elections. The charges stemmed from a mysterious incident in which an American, John Yettaw, swam to her lakeside home in May and stayed there uninvited for two days. That breached the terms of her house arrest. Yettaw, taken to hospital last week after suffering seizures, was sentenced to seven years’ hard labor in a parallel trial on three charges, including immigration offenses and “swimming in a non-swimming area.”
