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Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi given commuted sentence

It is reported that Aung San Suu Kyi will have to serve 27 years in jail

BANGKOK, August 1. /TASS/. Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been partially pardoned and her prison term has been reduced by six years, the Eleven Media Group reported on Tuesday.

According to the MRTV television channel, along with the leader of the National League for Democracy, the Myanmar ruling military pardoned 7,700 prisoners and 125 foreigners serving their sentences in Myanmar. Earlier, Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred from prison to a government building, where she met with parliament speaker from Myanmar T Khun Myat. According to media reports, the State Administration Council planned to move her to house arrest.

Thus, being pardoned on five out of 19 charges, Aung San Suu Kyi, 78, will have to serve 27 years in jail. The former state counselor, however, does not recognize her guilt on any of the 14 remaining offenses.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai met with Aung San Suu Kyi on July 9 with the consent of the State Administration Council. The Thai foreign minister welcomed this meeting as a major step toward the implementation of the five-point consensus plan for settling the crisis and ending violence in Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi and her government were ousted by the military on February 1, 2021. The military said this was done on the basis of the country’s constitution, which said that the army is its major guarantor and claimed that there had been large-scale election fraud in favor of the National League for Democracy during the November 2020 parliamentary election.

According to human rights activists, more than 6,000 people have been killed in clashes in the past two years and around 24,000 people have been arrested.