Ousted Magwe Region Chief Minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo was sentenced to a new jail term of three years by a junta court on Wednesday, taking his total prison sentence to 24 years.
Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, who was Magwe’s Chief Minister under the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government, was convicted on Wednesday of violating COVID-19 regulations under the Natural Disaster Management Law, for a trip he made to Magwe’s Pwintbyu Township during the coronavirus outbreak.
“He was given the maximum penalty under the law. He had expected this. He said [the regime] will do as they please,” said Dr. Aung Moe Nyo’s lawyer.
The ousted Chief Minister was sentenced at a special court in Magwe Prison, where he has been detained since last year’s coup. He faces nine charges in total.
In June last year, Dr. Aung Moe Nyo was sentenced to two years in prison with labor after being convicted of incitement. He had shared a video on social media in which he stated his opposition to the military’s coup and his support of the Civil Disobedience Movement, as well as supporting a statement issued by the NLD’s central executive committee that condemned the coup.
He was also given 18 years for three corruption charges and a one year sentence for violating electoral laws in the 2020 general election.
His lawyer said that Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, who is also a medical doctor, is in good health.
Prior to becoming Magwe’s Chief Minister in 2016, Dr. Aung Moe Nyo served as the No.3 general secretary in the NLD and won parliamentary seats in the 1990, 2015 and 2020 general elections, as well as in the 2012 by-elections.
