UNSC adopts resolution on release of ex-Burmese State Counsellor

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The UN Security Council adopted Wednesday a resolution on Myanmar calling for the release of former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, former President Win Myint, as well as all prisoners that were arbitrarily detained at the hands of the Burmese junta.

The resolution was adopted in a 12-0 vote, with Russia, China, and India abstaining.

The document "urges the Myanmar military to immediately release all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi."

The military seized power in Myanmar back in February 2021 using a constitutional mechanism allowing for the transfer of power during an emergency situation. The toppling of the government caused major civil unrest in the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi and then-President Win Myint were put under house arrest. San Suu Kyi, 77, has since been sentenced to over 20 years in prison by the junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced by the Junta in October to another six years in prison for corruption, a source revealed, taking her total jail time to 26 years. 

Suu Kyi "was sentenced to three years imprisonment each for two corruption cases," in which she had been accused of taking bribes from a businessman, a source said, adding that the terms would be served concurrently.

In the most recent allegation, she was accused of accepting $550,000 in bribes from businessman Maung Weik.

The escalating crisis dominated a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, which has led so far to fruitless diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed.

UN Chief Antonio Guterres urged back in November the Myanmar junta to immediately return to democracy, saying it was the only way to stop the "unending nightmare" engulfing the country.

According to a local monitoring group, the military has killed over 2,300 people and imprisoned over 15,000 in its crackdown on dissent since gaining power.