Former UK ambassador to Myanmar and artist husband jailed ‘for breaching immigration law’

Charges seen as pretext for cracking down on her critical views

Vicky Bowman and her husband were charged under the Immigration Act and foreigners registration rules (AP)

A former British ambassador to Myanmar has been sentenced to a year in prison for failing to register her residence.

Vicky Bowman’s husband, a national of the country, was given the same sentence for aiding the offence, according to a diplomat who asked to remain anonymous.

Neither Myanmar’s military government nor the British embassy have publicly confirmed the court’s action, but the charge against Ms Bowman has been widely seen as a pretext for cracking down on her for views the government may have considered critical.