The sentence handed down to Win Myint Hlaing, 52, appeared to be the longest of any member of the Sochi government and party arrested after the military coup on February 1, 2021. But authorities have executed at least four political activists convicted of terrorism charges.
A statement from the National League for Democracy in May said 917 party officials and members had been arrested and 701 of them were still imprisoned by the military.
Sochi herself, who was arrested on the day the army took over, was convicted of several charges and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Her supporters said that the charges were fabricated to discredit her and keep her from participating in the upcoming elections, which the army promised to hold in 2023.
Win Myint Hlaing won elections to the local parliament of Magway District in central Myanmar in 2015 but did not participate in the 2020 elections. He participated in anti-military protests before he was arrested in Yaksauk town in eastern Shan State in November last year.
The security forces confiscated his home in the town a day after his arrest, forcing his family to flee.
Military-controlled media reported that Win Myint Hlaing had collected weapons and ammunition and supported a local defense force that had targeted an education office, banks and police stations with bombings in its fight against the army.
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