Myanmar: Poet convicted for protesting against internet restrictions

Responding to the decision by the Kyauktada Township Court to convict activist and poet Maung Saungkha in connection with a peaceful protest against mobile internet restrictions in Rakhine and Chin States, Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Regional Director, said: "Given a choice between a 15-day prison sentence and a 30,000-kyat (US$22.50) fine, Maung Saungkha chose the latter. While this sentence may come as a relief, the fact remains that he should never have been charged in the first place. "Maung Saungkha was charged over an act of peaceful protest in which he unfurled a banner which asked: ‘Is the internet being shut down to hide war crimes in Rakhine [State] and...