Vox Sentences - The GOP primary in Georgia

Former Georgia Sen. David Perdue will challenge current Gov. Brian Kemp in the state’s Republican primary; Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to two years in jail.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Former Sen. David Perdue challenges Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp

Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

• Former Georgia Sen. David Perdue announced on Monday that he will challenge current Gov. Brian Kemp in the state’s Republican primary. [Washington Post / Amy Gardner]
• “I’m running for governor to make sure Stacey Abrams is never governor of Georgia,” Perdue said in a video uploaded to his website. Democratic frontrunner Abrams recently announced her intention to run for a second time after being narrowly defeated by Kemp in 2018. [CNN / Michael Warren]
• But Perdue’s run also comes after Donald Trump spent months pressuring him to join the race. Trump wants to punish Kemp for refusing to overturn the state’s election results; President Joe Biden rightfully won the state by 12,000 votes. [Axios / Emma Hurt, Jonathan Swan]
• “This will be very interesting, and I can’t imagine that Brian Kemp, who has hurt election integrity in Georgia so badly, can do well at the ballot box (unless the election is rigged, of course),“ Trump said in a statement released Monday. He stopped short, however, of fully endorsing Perdue. [The Hill / Tal Axelrod]
• The race between Perdue and Kemp is likely to be divisive, with the 2020 election results as a central issue. [CBS / Adam Brewster]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi sentenced to two years in jail

• Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years in jail for incitement and violating Covid-19 restrictions on Monday. [CNN / Helen Regan]
• It’s the first verdict for Suu Kyi, who has been detained in an undisclosed location since February, when the military overthrew her democratically elected government over alleged voting fraud. [NBC / Rachel Elbaum]
• The court’s decision has been widely panned as a politically motivated “sham trial”: UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Suu Kyi’s conviction “will only deepen rejection of the coup” and called for the immediate release of Suu Kyi and others who are unlawfully jailed. [Reuters / Stephanie Nebehay]
• Suu Kyi, 76, spent 15 years under house arrest due to her opposition of Myanmar’s military government before agreeing to work with the government to establish democracy. Her previous confinement earned her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. [AP / Grant Peck]
• Suu Kyi still faces more than a dozen charges carrying a possible sentence of 100 years. [Washington Post / Shibani Mahtani]

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The US announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games because of China’s human rights abuses. [Reuters / Steve Holland and Humeyra Pamuk, Michael Martina]

• Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett took the stand Monday in his own defense; he faces charges related to an alleged fake attack on himself. [Chicago Tribune / Megan Crepeau and Jason Meisner]
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• NYC will impose new vaccine mandates for private employees later this month. [USA Today / John Bacon and Celina Tebor]

“While David Perdue and Brian Kemp fight each other, Stacey Abrams will be fighting for the people of Georgia.”

Lauren Groh-Wargo, a top Stacey Abrams aide, addresses the state’s Republican primary on Twitter

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