Two student activists have opted to spend 15 days in prison as an act of protest aimed at drawing attention to Myanmar’s controversial Peaceful Assembly Law.
Min Thway Thit and Khant Min Htet were among four fined 30,000 kyat for organising a protest without permission on July 7 to commemorate Ne Win’s 1962 massacre of student activists.
But the two opted last week to serve a prison sentence to highlight the flaws in what rights groups say is a repressive law aimed at stifling legitimate criticism of Myanmar’s leaders.
The judge told the pair they would still have to pay the fine as well as going to prison, and Min Thway Thit said he will pay after being released.
Police charged a total of six people under the Peaceful Assembly Law, but two of them have evaded arrest. Two others, Sai Thuwun and Ei Thiri Kyaw, agreed to pay the fine and go free, saying they had to attend class and a graduation ceremony respectively.
Hundreds took part in the July march to Yangon University, where on the same day in 1962 soldiers opened fire on students protesting Ne Win’s regime, killing over a hundred according to some estimates.
The historic Students Union building was demolished with dynamite in the early hours of the morning after the killings.
Earlier this month another two organisers were convicted in relation to a separate protest commemorating the killings.
They were sentenced to seven days in prison on August 20 but released immediately because they had been held in custody since their arrests after opting not to apply for bail.
Under article 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law activists can be jailed for up to three months, fined 30,000 kyats, or both. Repeat offenders face one year in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 kyats.
