US condemns Myanmar military’s solitary confinement of Suu Kyi
Bangkok, Jun 25 (EFE).- The United States condemned Saturday the imprisonment of the ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi under a regime of solitary confinement decreed by the military.
The Myanmar politician, sentenced to 11 years in prison after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, was transferred this week to a prison in Naypyitaw after remaining under house arrest in an unknown location since the uprising.
“Myanmar must return to the path of democracy,” Derek Chollet, US State Councilor, said Saturday in a message posted on Twitter where he said he denounces the situation of the deposed former Myanmar State Councilor.
The American diplomat, who recently visited several countries in Southeast Asia, wrote about the “humanitarian needs” and US efforts to help “restore Myanmar’s path to democracy and build a more inclusive, free and prosperous future,” in another message.
Chollet added to his publication a photo of the video call held with the Prime Minister of the self-styled National Unity Government – created in opposition to the authoritarian military regime – Win Khaing Than.
The spokesman for the military junta, Zaw Min Tun, told EFE on Thursday that Suu Kyi had been transferred to a prison, where she will remain isolated from the rest of inmates.
Suu Kyi, who was previously seen wearing a prisoner’s outfit, also faces a dozen accusations for charges such as corruption or violation of the Official Secrets Act, which if found guilty could carry a joint sentence of more than 150 years in prison.
The sending of the deposed leader to jail comes days before the second visit to Myanmar of the special rapporteur appointed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Cambodian minister Prak Sokhon, who is expected to arrive next week in the country.
The decision also comes after hundreds of Myanmar citizens protested in towns across the country Sunday, the day the Nobel Peace Prize winner turned 77, calling for her release.
According to political experts, the current military junta seeks to ensure Suu Kyi, who has already lived for more than 15 years under house arrest and several months in prison during the extinct military junta (1962-2011), does not return to politics. EFE
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