YANGON, Jan 16 (dpa): A Myanmar court has added five new charges to the ongoing prosecution of the country's ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi (pic), according to sources familiar with the proceedings in the capital Naypyidaw.
Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to six years of jail time after being found guilty on five criminal charges last year including the possession of walkie talkies and the breaching of coronavirus restrictions.
With the addition of the latest five charges to the six already pending against the Nobel laureate, Suu Kyi could be facing a 160-year sentence, as 10 of the charges carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison.
As journalists and members of the public have been banned from attending the trial, Suu Kyi's reaction to the sentences is unknown.
It is also unknown whether the 76-year-old Suu Kyi will be forced to serve her sentence in prison or be allowed to remain under house arrest in Yangon.
Suu Kyi was arrested on February 1, hours before the military overthrew the country's democratically elected civilian leaders and returned the country to military rule after its brief experiment with democracy.
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the military coup, with the military struggling to contain peaceful street protests and civil disobedience movements, as well as anti-junta militias across the country seeking to unseat the military government by force. - dpa
