EU strengthens Myanmar sanctions over Suu Kyi trial

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Thursday said it was extending its sanctions on Myanmar to cover members of the judiciary responsible for the verdict in the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

A statement from the council of 27 EU states said members of the judiciary had been added to a list of officials of the military government subject to asset freezes and bans on travel to the European Union.

A Myanmar court on Tuesday sentenced Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, to three years in jail -- which the ruling junta then reduced to 18 months of house arrest at her lakeside home in Yangon.

The EU has condemned the trial and verdict against Suu Kyi as "unjustified" and urged her unconditional release.

The EU tightened sanctions on Myanmar after a crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September 2007.

The measures include travel bans and asset freezes on officials of the military government, their families and associates. They also target 1,207 enterprises owned by them or by people linked to them, limit diplomatic contacts and suspend non-humanitarian aid or development programs.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom)