NCGUB condemns junta’s ‘blatant disregard for law’ in jailing Nyi Nyi Aung, political prisoners

By National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma • February 11, 2010

In a blatant display of disregard for law and justice, a Burmese court has sentenced US citizen and democracy activist Nyi Nyi Aung, who is born in Burma, to three years’ imprisonment.The charges filed against Nyi Nyi were hastily concocted and falsified in order to obtain his conviction and jail him because the initial charges leveled against him were of a more serious nature under the State Protection Law and Emergency Act but there was lack of proof to back the charges. Nyi Nyi was jailed for committing forgery of a Burmese ID (which he did not need), for possession of over $ 2,000 (for which he was not permitted to declare because he was arrested on arrival), and for violating local immigration law for not informing the authorities about losing his Burmese ID card and/or renouncing the Burmese citizenship.

His arrest had been politically motivated even from the very beginning. Nyi Nyi went to Burma to visit his democracy activist mother who has cancer and serving time in prison. Even though a Burmese Embassy had issued him entry visa, he was immediately arrested on arrival at the airport in September 2009. While in prison, he underwent food and sleep deprivation, beaten, and denied medical treatment and consular access for more time.

Such blatant injustices committed against a US citizen like Nyi Nyi belie the impression that the junta wants better relations with the United States. They also show that the Burmese generals have no qualms about contorting the law to keep pro-democracy leaders and activists in prison for many years in order to serve their interests.

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma calls on the US Government to use all means to urgently secure Nyi Nyi’s release and to work with the United Nations and the international community to gain freedom of all political prisoners in Burma who are unjustly being detained by the Burmese generals.

This post is in: Press Release

NCGUB condemns junta’s ‘blatant disregard for law’ in jailing Nyi Nyi Aung, political prisoners

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