Why the Aung San Suu Kyi verdict could galvanise Myanmar’s resistance movement

The fallout from the sentencing may not only spur more protests at home but provoke stronger action from world powers, writes Allegra Mendelson

Aung San Suu Kyi could face more than 100 years in prison on a dozen criminal charges (AP)

The imprisonment of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi represented a stark statement of intent by the military junta, but opposition figures hope the verdict will galvanise the resistance movement and spark stronger sanctions from the international community.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for incitement and breaching coronavirus regulations, but the junta leaders reduced it to a two-year term of detention in her current location, which has not been disclosed but is reportedly similar to house arrest.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was placed under house arrest during a military coup on 1 February after her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory in the country’s November 2020 elections.