20 years added to Sagaing protest leader’s prison sentence

A special court inside Monywa Prison in Sagaing Region sentenced prominent protest leader Wai Moe Naing to an additional 20 years behind bars on Friday, according to the Monywa People’s Strike Committee. Wai Moe Naing, who was arrested in April 2021 after being deliberately hit by a car while leading an anti-coup protest, has since faced a range of charges, from incitement and unlawful association to armed robbery, murder, and treason. The sentence handed down last week was for three charges—murder, abduction with intent to murder, and incitement—in connection with the killing of two police officers in Monywa in March 2021. “These three charges actually carry a sentence of 42 years, but the judge decided that he might serve some of them concurrently, shortening the total to 20 years,” said Shin Thant, a central executive member of the Monywa People’s Strike Committee, of which Wai Moe Naing was the leader. The sentence comes just under a year after the prison court found Wai Moe Naing guilty of high treason, adding 20 years to the 34 he was already serving on other charges. The latest court decision brings the total sentence length to 74 years. Another central executive member of the strike committee who spoke to Myanmar Now said that Wai Moe Naing may soon be transferred to another prison now that he has been sentenced under all 10 of the charges against him. He added that five other defendants—Kyaw Swar Win, also known as Tayoke Gyi, Than Naing Min, Kyaw Swe Win, Ye Min Thu, and Kyaw Naing Tun—were also handed 20-year sentences for their alleged involvement in the murder of the two police officers. Thirty others who were charged at the same time as Wai Moe Naing were also reportedly handed two-year sentences. In a statement released on May 10, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) called the latest sentence against Wai Moe Naing unjust because there was no evidence of his involvement in the murders. The group also said that there are currently a total of 20,434 anti-coup activists still in junta custody, of whom 8,987 have received prison sentences.

20 years added to Sagaing protest leader’s prison sentence

Wai Moe Naing, leader of the Monywa People’s Strike Committee, is now serving a total of 74 years behind bars

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