mizzima.com/AFP-Sept 29
Aung San Suu Kyi and her former foreign economic advisor have been jailed for breaking Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act. According to the source, ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was also sentenced to three years in jail under the state secrets act during today’s court hearing. Sean Turnell, Australian economist and former advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi detained by Myanmar’s junta has also been sentenced to three years imprisonment, a source close to the case said on Thursday. Turnell was sentenced to three years imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Breaching the country’s Official Secrets Act carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail. The Australian government had called on the junta to release Turnell, while earlier this year Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen also appealed for his freedom in a meeting with Myanmar junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing. Australian officials and Mr Turnell have reportedly denied the allegations that he breached Myanmar’s security laws. Mr Turnell, a professor and economist from Sydney, was an economic adviser to the elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi prior to the coup. “Today’s conviction is the latest in a string of politically motivated cases all designed to cement the rule of the rights-abusing Myanmar military since it seized power in the coup. The charges against Turnell and former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was also sentenced in one of several cases against her today, are bogus and cannot be taken seriously,” Amnesty International Australia Impact Director Tim O’Connor said. Read more at:
