Photographer sentenced to eight years in prison
Organisation:
Sithu Zeya, a 21-year-old photographer who was arrested on 16 April for taking photos of the damage caused by a bomb in a Rangoon park, has been sentenced to eight years in prison. His father, U Zeya, a journalist and painter who was arrested a day later, is to be tried in January. Both worked for the exile radio and TV station Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).
More information about their arrest:
http://en.rsf.org/burma-maung-zeya-pictures-bomings-arrest-21-04-2010,37098.html
http://www.dvb.no/news/dvb-reporter-gets-8-year-jail-term/13487 Reporters Without Borders and its partner organization, the Burma Media Association, condemn the arbitrary punishment of a news photographer who was just doing his job. The two organizations are appalled by the way Sithu Zeya and his father are being treated. The son has already received one long jail sentence and could receive another one. The father is awaiting a sentence that could be very harsh. The two organizations fear that these two DVB reporters will be treated extremely severely by the Burmese authorities and call for their release. Hla Hla Win, a young woman who worked as a video reporter for DVB, was sentenced to 20 years in prison a year ago, on 31 December 2009. In all, six DVB reporters are currently detained in Burma. More information about the Hla Hla Win case: http://en.rsf.org/burma-appalling-20-year-jail-sentence-05-01-2010,35833.html According to Sithu Zeya’s legal adviser Aung Thein, no evidence or testimony was presented at his trial on 21 December before a court in the Rangoon district of Mingalar Taung Nyunt. The judges reached their verdict solely on the basis of a confession extracted under torture. The eight-year sentence consisted of five years for crossing the border with Thailand illegally and three years for “communicating with an illegal organization” (meaning DVB). He is facing the possibility of an additional sentence of up to 20 years in prison under the Electronics Act for taking the photos after the bombing during the Burmese New Year festivities in April that left nine people dead and 170 injured. Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association condemn the Electronics Act, which exposes journalists to the possibility of imprisonment while having a deadening effect on the country’s media. It is high time the Burmese junta stopped gagging reporters. Reporters Without Borders released a report entitled “Burmese media combating censorship” on 22 December that highlighted the importance of the role played by exile media such as DVB in providing news and information to the Burmese public:
http://en.rsf.org/burma-burmese-media-combating-censorship-22-12-2010,39134.html
http://en.rsf.org/burma-maung-zeya-pictures-bomings-arrest-21-04-2010,37098.html
http://www.dvb.no/news/dvb-reporter-gets-8-year-jail-term/13487 Reporters Without Borders and its partner organization, the Burma Media Association, condemn the arbitrary punishment of a news photographer who was just doing his job. The two organizations are appalled by the way Sithu Zeya and his father are being treated. The son has already received one long jail sentence and could receive another one. The father is awaiting a sentence that could be very harsh. The two organizations fear that these two DVB reporters will be treated extremely severely by the Burmese authorities and call for their release. Hla Hla Win, a young woman who worked as a video reporter for DVB, was sentenced to 20 years in prison a year ago, on 31 December 2009. In all, six DVB reporters are currently detained in Burma. More information about the Hla Hla Win case: http://en.rsf.org/burma-appalling-20-year-jail-sentence-05-01-2010,35833.html According to Sithu Zeya’s legal adviser Aung Thein, no evidence or testimony was presented at his trial on 21 December before a court in the Rangoon district of Mingalar Taung Nyunt. The judges reached their verdict solely on the basis of a confession extracted under torture. The eight-year sentence consisted of five years for crossing the border with Thailand illegally and three years for “communicating with an illegal organization” (meaning DVB). He is facing the possibility of an additional sentence of up to 20 years in prison under the Electronics Act for taking the photos after the bombing during the Burmese New Year festivities in April that left nine people dead and 170 injured. Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association condemn the Electronics Act, which exposes journalists to the possibility of imprisonment while having a deadening effect on the country’s media. It is high time the Burmese junta stopped gagging reporters. Reporters Without Borders released a report entitled “Burmese media combating censorship” on 22 December that highlighted the importance of the role played by exile media such as DVB in providing news and information to the Burmese public:
http://en.rsf.org/burma-burmese-media-combating-censorship-22-12-2010,39134.html
Published on
Updated on
20.01.2016
Myanmar
