Saffron Revolution leader Gambira is facing new charges just days before his scheduled release from prison, according to his legal representatives.
Gambira, a former monk who led anti-government street protests in 2007, was jailed for six months in April for immigration offences. Authorities said he crossed into Myanmar from Thailand illegally in January. He was set to be released from Yangon’s Insein prison on July 1.
At least one of the fresh charges relates to alleged trespassing in 2012, when Gambira is accused of breaking into closed monasteries, his lawyer Robert San Aung told Coconuts Yangon.
“The case is that he opened sealed monasteries in 2012 because monks who had been released from prison had nowhere to go,” he said. “I don’t know too much yet. Now he is still in Insein Prison.”
Monks who had participated in the 2007 Saffron Revolution were among political prisoners freed in amnesties that year. Gambira was sentenced to 68 years in 2008 but was released in 2012.
After his arrest in January, his legal team appealed to the judge for bail, citing Gambira’s poor mental health. He suffers from acute post-traumatic stress disorder attributed to torture and beatings behind bars.
Vani Sathisan, international legal advisor to the International Commission of Jurists, condemned the new charges in an email.
“To suddenly be facing new charges a few days before your release, for a conviction that took place after an unfair trial, is a reflection of poor prosecutorial discretion and the continued lack of respect for due process rights, individual human rights and the rule of law,” she said.
“Surely resources and time can be better channeled towards upgrading the state of legal education and court facilities instead of bolstering unfair trials and convictions?”
