(SEAPA/IFEX) – Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) protests against the “unjust and excessive” jail sentences slapped against four dissidents by a criminal court in Pegu, north of Rangoon, on 9 June 2006, for publishing a book of poems deemed “anti-government”. Delhi-based Burmese news website Mizzima.com reported on 15 June that Aung Than, member of the […]
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) protests against the “unjust and excessive” jail sentences slapped against four dissidents by a criminal court in Pegu, north of Rangoon, on 9 June 2006, for publishing a book of poems deemed “anti-government”.
Delhi-based Burmese news website Mizzima.com reported on 15 June that Aung Than, member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, and Zeya Aung, a student from Pegu University, each received a sentence of 19 years in prison for publishing a book of poems titled “Dawn Mann” (“The fighting spirit of the peacock”). The peacock is the symbol of the pro-democracy movement and of the NLD party.
Maung Maung Oo, owner of a printing shop where the book was published, and Sein Hlaing, who helped distribute the book, were sentenced to fourteen and seven years in prison respectively.
Aung Than, Zeya Aung and Maung Maung Oo were reportedly sent to the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon, while Sein Hlaing is still being detained in Pegu.
SEAPA condemned the sentences, which constitute a grave violation of the universal principles of free expression stipulated under Article 19 of the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights and under Article 19 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The 9 June verdict also raises a question over due process of the country’s judiciary and confirms that the present laws have deliberately been used to clamp down on people’s rights to freedom of expression and opinion,” said a SEAPA statement.
Under the notorious 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act, which was amended in 1989, offenders face a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of up to 30,000 Kyat (approx. US$5).
Aung Than and Zeya Aung were arrested by Burmese authorities near the Thai-Burma border town of Myawaddy on 29 March and were charged with associating with outlawed organisations and illegally crossing an international boundary, in addition to violating publishing acts.
Six others who were arrested in connection with the publishing of the book were released after six days of interrogation, according to a Mizzima.com report.
SEAPA urged that the court’s 9 June decision be overturned and that the four dissidents convicted under the printing act are immediately released from prison.
BACKGROUND:
Burma is notorious for being one of the most strict media censorship regimes and for its severe punishment, including lengthy jail terms, of journalists and dissidents. The printing act, which was amended in 1989, is the main instrument of official censorship. It requires that all books, magazines, other periodicals and even song lyrics and motion picture scripts, be submitted for vetting to the Press Scrutiny Board.
