Myanmar: Ex-Politician Sentenced to 173 Years

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Facts

  • A court in military-ruled Myanmar has handed a former politician for the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) a 148-year prison sentence, meaning alongside previous convictions, Win Mint Hlaing will hypothetically spend a total of 173 years in prison.
  • The sentence is believed to be the longest given to any member of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's former government and party after the military takeover in February 2021. Suu Kyi, arrested on the day of the coup, has already been sentenced to 26 years for several convictions.
  • According to a person familiar with the legal proceeding, Hlaing was found guilty of eight offenses under the counterterrorism act, having already been sentenced to 25 years on five charges involving alleged incitement and terrorism.
  • Elected to the local parliament of Magway in 2015, Hlaing was not part of the 2020 election, though he did take part in anti-military protests before being arrested in Yaksawk township in November 2021.
  • A statement from the NLD in May claimed 917 party officials and members had been arrested, and the military had detained a further 701. Political trials in Myanmar are closed events, so evidence used to convict officials isn't public.

Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC, FOX News, and Telegraph.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Amnesty International. The military regime has only continued to crack down on those who oppose it, attacking civilians and restricting fundamental human rights from anyone who attempts to challenge their illegitimate authority. Hlaing and Suu Kyi are among many who've been detained not by an objective rule of law but to fulfill this effort. Change must occur, and Myanmar must be freed from the violent military government.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Global New Light of Myanmar. Extremist NLD members are guilty of inciting civil unrest alongside terrorist organizations in an attempt to undermine the State Administration Council, which is temporarily in charge of the county according to the 2008 Constitution. Myanmar and the international community must collectively fight such terrorism, which is unacceptable in any society.