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Military council files terrorism charges against student activists to ‘instil fear’

March 22, 2022/in News

The targeted individuals were helping families of detained students send them care packages in prison, says the chair of Myanmar’s student union coalition The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) confirmed that three of their Mandalay-based members were charged last Friday by the junta with violating Myanmar’s counterterrorism law. The individuals, who were arrested […]

Myanmar junta sentences two journalists to two-year prison terms

March 22, 2022/in News

Journalists from Kamayut Media and Mizzima are convicted of incitement one year after their arrests in a continued nationwide crackdown on news organisations Junta courts in Naypyitaw and inside Yangon’s Insein Prison sentenced two journalists to two years in prison this week, one year after their arrests and charges of violating Section 505a of the […]

Military council files terrorism charges against student activists to ‘instil fear’

March 22, 2022/in News

Myanmar junta sentences two journalists to two-year prison terms

March 22, 2022/in News

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Military council files terrorism charges against student activists to ‘instil fear’

March 22, 2022/in News

The targeted individuals were helping families of detained students send them care packages in prison, says the chair of Myanmar’s student union coalition

The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) confirmed that three of their Mandalay-based members were charged last Friday by the junta with violating Myanmar’s counterterrorism law.

The individuals, who were arrested on March 2 in Amarapura Township, include Aung Myo Ko, chair of the student union at the Mandalay Education College; Thiri Yadanar, upper Myanmar secretary of the ABFSU; and Kyaw Zin Latt, a middle school teacher from Singu Township.

ABFSU chair Aung Pyae Sone Phyo said that the activists had been helping families of detained students send care packages to their loved ones in prison.

“They were actually a part of the democratic movement before but they stopped doing that. They just focused on sending care packages to the detained students and helping the detained students contact their families in distant places,” he told Myanmar Now.

The three detainees—all in their 20s—have been held at the township police station since their arrest, and were formally accused on March 18 of violating Section 50j of the counterterrorism law for funding “terrorist” organisations. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, Aung Pyae Sone Phyo told Myanmar Now.

A second charge was also added to their cases for being alleged accessories to terrorist acts, as is outlined under Section 52a of the law, and carries a seven-year sentence.

The three student activists are also reportedly being investigated for incitement charges under Section 505a of the Penal Code, but Aung Pyae Sone Phyo noted that the final charge had not yet been formally filed.

“[The military] started by arresting protesters on the streets and now they’re arresting people who are helping the detained civilians. They clearly want to instill fear into the people so that they don’t dare to revolt,” the ABFSU chair said.

The military council has not released any information on the charges allegedly brought against the student activists.

Protests have continued in Mandalay more than one year after the military coup in February 2021. The junta continues to make frequent arrests of dissidents in the region, questioning civilians in public, and sealing off houses belonging to anti-dictatorship figures.

“They are going to decimate each and every one of their opponents. That is why we have been revolting against the junta from the time of Ne Win until Min Aung Hlaing,” Aung Pyae Sone Phyo said, referring to the military leader who seized power in a 1962 coup and the current army chief.

“It’s also essential that we, the people, hold our heads high and keep fighting back,” he added.

Myanmar Now News

Myanmar junta sentences two journalists to two-year prison terms

March 22, 2022/in News

Journalists from Kamayut Media and Mizzima are convicted of incitement one year after their arrests in a continued nationwide crackdown on news organisations

Junta courts in Naypyitaw and inside Yangon’s Insein Prison sentenced two journalists to two years in prison this week, one year after their arrests and charges of violating Section 505a of the Penal Code for incitement.

Kamayut Media co-founder Hanthar Nyein was convicted on Monday in a military-run “special court” in Insein, and former Mizzima correspondent Than Htike Aung was handed the same verdict by the Dekkhina District Court in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

Both men pleaded not guilty, and were told that their time already served in prison would be deducted from their sentences.

“They said Kamayut Media had incited riots and rallied people to protest,” Hanthar Nyein’s lawyer said. “However, Hanthar Nyein appealed to them that he had just reported the news in accordance with journalistic ethics.”

He added that his client did not offer comment on the verdict as he had anticipated that he would be sentenced to prison time, but noted that he was in good health.

Hanthar Nyein was arrested along with Kamayut’s other co-founder and editor-in-chief Nathan Maung during a military raid on their office in Yangon on March 9, 2021.

After being detained in Insein for more than three months, Nathan Maung, an American citizen, was released and deported in June. He told several news outlets that both he and Hanthar Nyein were brutally tortured by the junta’s forces during prison interrogations.

Than Htike Aung was arrested outside the Dekkhina court on March 19, 2021 by plainclothes officers while reporting on a hearing for National League for Democracy party patron Win Htein. BBC correspondent Aung Thura was also arrested, but was released days later.

The military council has been threatening media organisations and raiding their offices since staging a coup in February last year. In addition to Kamayut, those targeted in Yangon were Mizzima, Myanmar Now and DVB, as well as the Hakha Post in Chin State, the Monywa Gazette in Sagaing, and the Shwe Phee Myay news agency in Lashio, Shan State.

Although staff members largely managed to evade capture during these raids, the military confiscated office property and frequently destroyed or damaged the premises.

More than 130 journalists have been arrested since the coup and more than 50 were still imprisoned at the time of reporting, according to figures compiled by the Detained Journalists Group, which has been monitoring and collecting data on the issue.

Nway Nway Eain contributed to this report.

Myanmar Now News

Spring Revolution

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Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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