France utterly condemns the new prison sentence, with hard labour, imposed on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

This new sentence is arbitrary and politically motivated. It was delivered by a judicial system in the hands of generals and shows the junta’s contempt for the rule of law and fundamental rights. The electoral fraud accusation on which the sentence is based aims only to justify the coup d’état of 1 February 2021, which goes against the will of the Burmese people expressed democratically in the general election of 8 November 2020. This decision makes the prospect of political dialogue requested by the international community, in which Aung San Suu Kyi must be involved, even more distant.

The regime, which resulted from the coup, has no legitimacy. France reiterates its call for the immediate, unconditional release of all those people being arbitrarily detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. It maintains its support for the action of ASEAN and its special envoy, and the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General’s special envoy, and recalls that the establishment of a political dialogue including the democratic opposition is an essential requirement for finding any way out of the crisis.

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