Human Rights Watch today condemned the latest convictions of the incarcerated civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi sentencing her to four years in prison in Myanmar.

Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch, took issue with the new convictions of Aung San Suu Kyi:

“The Myanmar junta’s courtroom circus of secret proceedings on bogus charges is all about steadily piling up more convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi so that she will remain in prison indefinitely. Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and the junta leaders obviously still view her as a paramount political threat who needs to be permanently neutralized. Only that can explain the junta’s willingness to appear as global laughingstocks as they secure convictions in a kangaroo court on the flimsiest, politically motivated charges.

This latest round contains the most ludicrous charge of all concerning the infamous walkie-talkies, for which she got a total of three years. The junta should have charged itself with that offense rather than her, since those walkie-talkies belonged to Suu Kyi’s bodyguards who were assigned to her by the Ministry of Home Affairs which under the 2008 Constitution is required to be led by a serving military officer.

The Myanmar military junta is running roughshod over the human rights of everyone, ranging from Suu Kyi and other elected officials of the previous government to the CDM activists on the street. Once again, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a symbol of what is happening to her country and returned to the role of political hostage of military hell-bent on controlling power by using intimidation and violence. Fortunately for her and the future of Myanmar, the Myanmar people’s movement has grown well beyond just the leadership of one woman, and one political party.”