Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell has been sentenced to 3 years in jail in Myanmar for violating the country’s official state secrets act. There to advise civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Turnell was arrested in February last year when the military seized power in a coup. That has seen the democratically elected government pushed aside despite protests from the United Nations and free countries worldwide. Turnell’s trial was held in secret and Australian diplomats have been denied access to him and the court proceedings. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the treatment of Turnell has been “unjust”. “We will continue to take every opportunity to advocate strongly for Professor Turnell until he has returned to his family in Australia.” Turnell’s wife Ha Vu said the sentence – which could see him detained until February 2024 – is “heartbreaking for me, our daughter, Sean’s 85yo father, and the rest of our family”.