Over 100 Rohingya Civilians Sentenced to 20-years in Prison
By Rohingya Mirror | December 23, 2016
Maungdaw – The Maungdaw Township Court sentenced over 100
Rohingya civilians to 20-years or more in prison each on December 16 and 22
respectively, it has been reported.
All the victims of the imprisonments — that look arbitrary
from the way the trials were conducted — are from the village of ‘KoeDanKaung’
locally known as ‘Doun Say Fara’ in Rathedaung Township. They were arrested by
the Myanmar military during the two-day long brutal raids on the village
between 4th and 6th November.
About 80 people were handed 20-year imprisonment each on
December 16 and more than 30 other people were given 20 to 25 year in prison to
each on December 22.
During the trials reported to be conducted without proper
procedures, the authorities didn’t provide the defendants any rights to
defend/counsel/fair trial at the court.
Mr. Myo Thant, a human rights activist in Maungdaw, said
“arbitrary arrests, tortures and arbitrary imprisonments of innocent civilians
is a crimes against humanity under international laws. That too, more than 100
people were tortured and handed long-term imprisonments without any rights for
the accused to defend during trials or without any trials at all.
“The Border Police blocked the roads to the Court. The Judge
gave instantaneous order for the imprisonment, while detaining the accused in
the prison-van. The accused were not even taken into the Court building.”
After the ruling by the Court, the Police took them to the
Buthidaung prison where they had been brought from to hear the court verdict.