A former United Kingdom ambassador to Myanmar has been sentenced to one year in prison. According to a diplomatic source. Vicky Bowman, an ambassador between 2002 and 2006, and her husband, Myanmar artist and former political prisoner Htein Lin, are accused of violating immigration laws.
The woman has been locked up in a Yangon prison since August 25, according to the military dictatorship, for failing to provide authorities with her address, which is different from the one she is registered with. Her husband has been prosecuted for helping her. The two faced up to five years in prison.
Bowman was also secretary at the British embassy in Myanmar from 1990. She married Htein Lin in 2006, who was in prison between 1998 and 2004 for his opposition to the then military dictatorship. The military, in power in Myanmar since the February 1, 2021 coup, is pursuing a repressive policy against its opponents. More than 2,100 civilians have already been killed and nearly 15,000 have been arrested, according to a local NGO.
Relations between Myanmar and the UK have been tense since the cataract. In late August, on the fifth anniversary of the start of the army’s deadly raids against the Rohingya minority, London announced new sanctions against several companies and individuals with ties to the military dictatorship.
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