Former lawmaker in Myanmar is given a 173-year prison sentence

• Former MP Win Myint Hlaing sentenced to 148 years in jail for terrorism-related charges.
• 52-year-old was found guilty of eight offences under the counterterrorism act.
• Combined with a previous conviction, he will now serve a total of 173 years behind bars.

A former MP from the outlawed National League for Democracy (NLD) party has been sentenced to 148 years in jail by a court in military-run Myanmar.

Combined with a previous conviction, Win Myint Hlaing, 52, will now serve a total of 173 years behind bars.

Win Myint Hlaing’s sentence, which was announced on Monday following his conviction on terrorism-related charges, seemed to be the longest prison term meted out to a representative of Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration and the NLD party since the military seized control in February 2021.

Win Myint Hlaing was given a 148-year sentence on Monday after being found guilty of eight offences under the counterterrorism act by a court in Magway district, which is about 480 kilometers north of Yangon, according to a person familiar with the legal proceedings who spoke to the Associated.

Press under the condition of anonymity out of fear of being arrested.

Win Myint Hlain had already been found guilty of five offences involving incitement and terrorism in March, April, and June, for which he was given penalties totaling 25 years, the source claimed.

The person said that Win Myint Hlain was imprisoned when some of the crimes for which he was most recently found guilty occurred.

Since political trials in Myanmar are often secret, it is unknown what evidence was utilized to convict the defendants.

According to a source with knowledge of Magway jail, long-term inmates like Win Myint Hlaing are kept shackled.

Four political activists who were convicted of terrorism-related offences and anti-coup actions were put to death by Myanmar’s military authorities in July.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained on the day the army took over, was given a sentence of 26 years in prison on accusations that her supporters claim were made up to damage her reputation and prevent her from competing for office.

Win Myint Hlaing was in charge of a local People’s Defense Force (PDF) unit and had gathered weapons and explosives used in “terror activities to disrupt the peace and stability of the State,” according to a report published by the military-run Global New Light of Myanmar last year.

According to the news source, the PDF squad had conducted out bombings, arson assaults, and assassinations against a bank, a police station, and an education office. In the central area of Myanmar, Win Myint Hlain was chosen to serve in the local parliament in 2015. Although he did not vote in the 2020 election, he had taken part in anti-military demonstrations before being detained in Yaksawk Township in the eastern Shan State in November 2021.

A day after his detention, security agents took possession of his home in the Taungdwingyi township of Magway, forcing him and his family to leave.

When the military took control of Myanmar, there were first large-scale, nonviolent protests that were violently put down, leading to an armed rebellion that some United Nations experts say has now resembled a civil war.

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