Student leader jailed for protest
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Yangon - Thant Zin, the former chairperson of the All Burma Federation of Student Union for Upper Myanmar, and Nyan Myint Than, a student activist, were convicted under Section 18 of Peaceful Assembly and Procession Act.
They participated in the protest calling for the amendment of the National Education Law in September 2014 in Myingyan, Mandalay Region.
Thant Zin additionally demonstrated in Myingyan calling for the student protest march from Mandalay to Yangon on March 3 to be left unmolested by the authorities. It was violently broken up on March 10.
Myingyan Township judge Phyu Phyu Swe jailed Thant Zin for two months for two unlawful demonstrations and Nyan Myint Than was given one month for one protest.
“We’ve been detained for nine months while facing trials. I’d like to tell President U Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing that in order to bring forth a genuine democratic country all the detained students and other activists must be released without exception,” said Thant Zin.
Trials under Sections 143 and 145 for joining in unlawful assembly and Section 505(b) for public disturbance are still awaiting the pair.
Their pre-trial detention period will be subtracted from the total prison terms.
