Myanmar court gives Suu Kyi confidante 20-year prison term
ABC News
A court in Myanmar has found a close colleague of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of treason and sentenced him to 20 years in prison
BANGKOK -- A court in Myanmar found a close colleague of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of treason and sentenced him Friday to 20 years in prison, a member of their political party said. Local media also reported the court’s decision.
The sentence given 79-year-old Win Htein appeared to be the most severe so far for any of the top members of Suu Kyi’s government and party who were detained after the military seized power on Feb. 1. Suu Kyi is being tried on several criminal charges that her supporters say were fabricated to discredit her.
Win Htein is a longtime confidante of Suu Kyi and a patron of her National League for Democracy party. He publicly called for civil disobedience to oppose the military’s takeover and was arrested on Feb. 4. Suu Kyi’s party had won a landslide victory in a November 2020 general election.
The army's takeover was met with widespread peaceful protests but the resistance hardened after security forces used deadly force to put down the demonstrations, and there is now an incipient insurgency in many parts of the country.
