“I would like to say to the world today, right now – not only to the people of Myanmar, but to the people around the world – fight for rights, fight for truth.”
That was the message of activist Khaing Myo Htun yesterday, speaking outside the court in Sittwe, Rakhine state, where he has been detained for allegedly documenting military human rights abuses.
Khaing Myo Htun, a deputy information officer for the Arakan Liberation Party – the political wing of an ethnic army which signed a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar authorities in 2012 – was detained on July 25. His arrest came after the ALP issued a statement accusing the military of torturing civilians and forcing them to serve as porters. Charged with sedition and incitement, he faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Hundreds of supporters gathered outside Sittwe township court before a hearing yesterday to demand the activist’s release, defying warnings of arrests by Border Affairs and Security Minister Colonel Htein Lin. Addressing the crowd in a video circulated on Facebook, Khaing Myo Htun said: “Forgetting security only, don’t give up the freedom.”
In the end, no arrests were made and, inside court, the activist’s lawyer continued to cross-examine plaintiff Colonel Tin Naing Tun. The next court date has been scheduled for October 10.
“The trial has been moving very slowly, not least because the Col. Tin Naing Tun has been absent from court on two occasions without giving advance notice,” said David Baulk, Myanmar Human Rights Specialist with nonprofit Fortify Rights. “All the while Khaing Myo Htun remains in prison simply for demanding justice for innocent civilians who have faced serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Army.”
Khaing Myo Htun, who is 34, has spent more than a decade as a human rights defender and environmental activist, founding Natural Resources for the People – advocating on behalf of farmers, women and ethnic leaders in Rakhine state – in 2008.
“His willingness to speak out in defence of human rights has led to him being targeted by the Myanmar authorities,” said Baulk. “In a country where the Army expects to act with impunity, it is clear that they still view human rights defenders as a threat that needs to be silenced.”
Rakhine state has been riven by conflict between the military and rebel Arakan Army, which has been excluded from ongoing peace talks, since April 2015. An investigation by Fortify Rights documented seven cases of alleged forced labor by the military during episodes of fighting. According to the nonprofit, soldiers told civilians – on pain of death – to dig graves and carry supplies.
“The lack of investigation into the allegations made by the ALP speaks volumes about the attitude of the Myanmar Army to achieving national reconciliation,” said Baulk. “The international community seems intoxicated by the narrative that the Myanmar Army is an institution that is ready to reform, meet its obligations under international law, and make way for the country’s democratic transition. The evidence from the ground paints quite a different picture.”
