Myanmar junta court sentences former NLD chief minister to 75 years for ‘corruption’

A military court in Myanmar on Tuesday sentenced the former National League for Democracy (NLD) chief minister of Kayin state to 75 years in prison for “corruption,” the latest example of a harsh punishment observers say is aimed at undermining party leadership.

Nang Khin Htwe Myint, 67, was found guilty by the Hpa-an Prison Special Court in Kayin state on five separate charges under the Anti-Corruption Law and handed a maximum 15 years in prison for each case, her defense lawyer Aung Thane told RFA’s Myanmar Service. The NLD Central Executive Committee member had been sentenced to two years in jail in August for “state defamation,” bringing her total sentence to 77 years.

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Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.