Wife of Australian economist imprisoned in Myanmar says family is heartbroken by three-year sentence

In a statement, Ha Vu said the Myanmar junta’s sentencing of her husband, Sean Turnell, had devastated his family. Photograph: Ha Vu's Facebook page

The wife of Australian economist Prof Sean Turnell – who has been sentenced to three years in jail by Myanmar’s military junta – says his sentence is “heartbreaking” for his family and has pleaded for his release.

In a statement published in Burmese and English, Ha Vu said her husband’s sentence – imposed after a secret trial in which Turnell was denied proper legal counsel – had devastated his family.