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WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 OcTOber 2019

Myanmar court gives actors 1-year

jail term for satire

Associated Press six months behind bars, just However, constitutional
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) because the Myanmar au- provisions adopted under
— A court in Myanmar on thorities are too thin-skinned military rule ensure the army
Wednesday sentenced to tolerate the mildest criti- a major role in government,
five members of a tradi- cism." The offense is punish- and initial liberalization of
tional theatrical troupe to a able by up to two years in restrictive press laws did not
year in prison for their gibes prison, and release on bail end official efforts to stymie
about the military. is not allowed. free speech, with reporters Zayar Lwin, left, member of Student Union and a leader of Pea-
The members of the Pea- Seven members of the and activists continuing to cock Generation "Thangyat" Performance Group, talks as he
cock Generation thang- troupe face various charg- face legal challenges un- leaves a township court along with his colleague Paing Phyo
yat troupe were arrested in es related to the case, in- der laws covering defama- Min, right, after their trial Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Yangon,
April for performances dur- cluding for "online defama- tion and online activities.q Myanmar.
ing celebrations of Myan- tion" for livestreaming their Associated Press
mar's traditional new year performances.
in which they poked fun at "This sentencing of Pea-
military representatives in cock Generation means
parliament and military in- that the judiciary of the
volvement in business. The country is continuing the
military is a powerful politi- military's suppression of
cal force in Myanmar even freedom of expression,"
though the country has an said Maung Saungkha of
elected government. Athan, a Myanmar-based
Thangyat combines dance free speech group.
and music with verse that In August, another court
often has a satirical edge. in Yangon found a promi-
The five were convicted nent filmmaker guilty of de-
under a law prohibiting the faming the military with his
circulation of information postings on Facebook and
that could endanger or de- sentenced him to a year in
moralize members of the prison for allegedly threat-
military. ening to cause members of
"This is an appalling verdict. the military to mutiny or ne-
Punishing people for per- glect their duties. Filmmak-
forming a piece of satire er Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who
speaks volumes about the was founder of Myanmar's
dire state of freedom of ex- Human Dignity Film Institute
pression in Myanmar," said and the country's Human
Joanne Mariner, research Rights, Human Dignity Inter-
director for Southeast Asia national Film Festival, has
for the human rights orga- also been jailed since April.
nization Amnesty Interna- Myanmar ended five de-
tional. cades of military-dominat-
"These activists are prison- ed government in 2016,
ers of conscience," she said when an elected civilian
in an emailed statement. government led by Aung
"They have already spent San Suu Kyi took office.