Word: prisons
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...dispersed after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy Delta last spring - would convince the junta to take a softer approach were dashed by the rash of detentions that accelerated in late October. Last week, two journalists were jailed, while three lawyers representing political activists have also been sentenced to prison. "These last few weeks show a more concentrated crackdown on dissent clearly aimed at intimidating the population," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement from the New York-based rights group. "These peaceful activists should not be on trial in the first place, let alone...
...leaders are clearing the decks of political activists," says Pearson, "before they announce the next round of sham political reforms." Overall, one Burmese exile group based in Thailand estimates that 2,120 Burmese now languish in jail for their political activism, nearly double the number who were in prison before last year's anti-government demonstrations...
...Burmese service report that claimed a daughter of junta leader Than Shwe had spent more than $80,000 on a gold shopping spree in the city of Mandalay. Than Shwe himself brooks no dissent. The offense of Saw Wai, the poet who was sentenced to two years in prison? Writing a love poem published in a weekly magazine in which the first words of each line spelled out a brazen message: "Power Crazed Senior General Than Shwe...
...researcher reported that authorities said they suspected party members of "holding an illegal meeting" and "threatening state security." The current charge of "insulting" President Pierre Nkurunziza appears to be based on confiscated documents. HRW says that if convicted, Sinduhije could be sentenced to two to five years in prison. Rights activists and supporters fear he could remain in detention a long time before any trial takes place...
Frederic Ngoga-Gateretse, a security-risk analyst specializing in Africa, says there had been hope for a release on Nov. 11 because of international appeals. Instead Sinduhije was charged and transferred to Mpimba prison. Ngoga-Gateretse, who is also a member of a Burundian opposition party and a friend of Sinduhije, "strongly believes" that high-level government leaders, including President Nkurunziza and General Adolphe Nshimirimana, head of the country's intelligence service, pressured lower-ranking officials not to release Sinduhije. According to Ngoga-Gateretse, who is based in Maryland, Burundian authorities are holding Sinduhije in spite of international pressure...