The Scandinavian governments strongly condemn verdict on Burmese opposition leader.
A Myanmar court on Tuesday sentenced pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, to an additional 18 months of house arrest.
The reactions on the verdict came quickly from political leaders from most countries. The Swedish Presidency of the European Union said in a statement that it would respond with “additional targeted measures against those responsible for the verdict.”
“In addition, the EU will further reinforce its restrictive measures targeting the regime of Burma/Myanmar, including its economic interests,” the statement added.
The Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller said to Ritzau:
“The Danish Government condemns the Burmese military regime’s decision to give the leader of the main opposition party, Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, a continued house arrest for an offence, she did not commit.”
The Norwegian government echoed their Scandinavian partners:
“This conviction is unacceptable. This is a political verdict and an attempt on the part of the regime to prevent her from taking part in the forthcoming elections,” said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Stoere til Norwegian NRK.
The court had initially handed down a three-year prison term for violation of an internal security law. But moments after the verdict was passed, Burma’s home minister stood before the court and announced that the military junta had decided to reduce her sentence, to “maintain peace and tranquilty.”
She was arrested in May after an uninvited American, John Yettaw, swam across a lake to enter her home, breaching the terms of her earlier house arrest. Yettaw was sentenced to seven years hard labour on three charges.
