A Myanmar military court sentenced the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to five years in prison on Wednesday, in the first of 11 corruption cases against her, per Reuters.
Why it matters: It's the latest verdict in a slew of cases brought by Myanmar's junta that could see the 76-year-old deposed leader imprisoned for the rest of her life.
- The Nobel laureate has already been sentenced to six years' imprisonment in other cases that have also been criticized for being politically motivated, AP notes.
The big picture: Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won Myanmar's 2020 elections in a landslide, but the military overthrew the government and detained her and other officials in a coup last February.
- Their detention triggered widespread protests and the military junta launched a widespread crackdown, but it has continued to face opposition and over 10,o00 people are being held in detention, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma.
- The advocacy group that tracks arrests and killings reports that 1,745 have been confirmed killed by the junta in the crackdown.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
