Activists who led a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Yangon on December 29 against the death of local resident Khin Win during the protest at the Letpadaungtaung copper mine in Sagaing Region were refused bail after appearing in Dagon Township Court for the second time on December 20.
Nay Myo Zin, Naw Ohn Hla, Sein Htwe, Tin Htut Paing, Lay Lay, Than Swe and Mya Nu were arrested on December 30 and charged under six sections of the Penal Code of Myanmar.
Lawyers representing the activists said that the court should rethink the lawsuit as the detention of activists without the court’s arrest warrants amounts to violating human rights.
The state prosecutors objected to it as the accused would have no rights to get bail under section 505 (b).
“The authority has filed a lawsuit against them with section 505 (b) as they don’t want to grant bail. The police needs to seek arrest warrants from the court to arrest them in accordance with section 505 (b). But now they are being charged under different sections,” said lawyer Robert San Aung.
“We will start a strike in the jail if the authorities refuse to grant bail. We will rebel against the current rule of law. We strongly believe that the government is trying to use the dishonest ways to kill us in jail in place of peaceful methods,” said Nay Myo Zin.
The government usually takes a tough line on Letpadaungtaung protests staged at the Chinese embassy.
On December 10, 2013, Naw Ohn Hla, Tin Htut Paing, Aung Soe and Sithu were prosecuted for setting fire to the Chinese flag. eleven media
democracy for burma 