The Myanmar junta on Tuesday moved a leading member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), U Win Htein, to Obo Prison in Mandalay from Naypyitaw, his lawyer told The Irrawaddy.
The NLD patron was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment late last month for high treason for his candid criticism of the Feb. 1 coup.
“Uncle Htein [U Win Htein] was taken to Mandalay on 9 October,” his lawyer U Myint Thwin said.
U Win Htein, 80, was taken to Obo Prison after testifying as a defense witness in one of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s trials in Naypyitaw on Monday. Long-term prisoners are not held in Naypyitaw, so he was taken to Obo Prison in Mandalay.
The junta has filed 11 charges against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. U Win Htein testified in a case in which the detained State Counselor is charged with violating COVID-19 restrictions by greeting her supporters at an event during the election campaign last year.
The NLD patron, who was present at the campaign event, testified that his party leader complied with the rules, according to his lawyer.
U Win Htein was arrested on Feb. 4 at his home in Yangon after holding a short press briefing in Naypyitaw, where he issued a letter to the public criticizing the coup. Since then he had been detained and tried in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw.
The former military captain spent more than 20 years in jail under former dictator Than Shwe for his political activities.
He has a cardiac condition and suffers from a number of chronic diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure. He needs a wheelchair to get around and requires supplemental oxygen while sleeping.
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