Suu Kyi's sentence halved to 2 years, Myanmar state TV reports

[SINGAPORE] Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has had her sentence reduced from four years to two years after a partial pardon by the head of the military-appointed government, the country's state television reported on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, a court in Myanmar found Suu Kyi, ousted in a Feb 1 coup, guilty of charges of incitement and breaching coronavirus restrictions, drawing international outrage at what some critics described as a "sham trial".

President Win Myint was sentenced to four years' detention, Myanmar's state-run broadcaster MRTV reported.

Both he and Suu Kyi, 76, will serve their sentences where they are currently being detained, an undisclosed location, suggesting they will not be sent to prison.

The United States on Monday slammed a jail sentence imposed on Suu Kyi, and the repression of other elected figures as "affronts to democracy and justice." "We urge the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all those unjustly detained, including other democratically elected officials," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"The regime's continued disregard for the rule of law and its widespread use of violence against the Burmese people underscore the urgency of restoring Burma's path to democracy," he warned, using a former name for Myanmar. The US top diplomat called on the Myanmar junta to "end the use of violence, respect the will of the people, and restore Burma's democratic transition."

REUTERS, AFP