Second plaintiff testifies in trial of four students sued over anti-war protest in Sittwe

By DMG 28 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
28 April 2021, Sittwe 

A local court in Sittwe Township on Wednesday heard the second plaintiff in a case involving four anti-war demonstrators who were arrested last year and charged with incitement and violating Myanmar’s Natural Disaster Management Law. 

The four, who are university students, face two charges — under Section 505(b) of the colonial-era Penal Code and Section 29 of the Natural Disaster Management Law — for their participation in an anti-war demonstration in October.  

Early this month, the court heard one of the two plaintiffs, U Aung Zan Wai of the Natural Disaster Management Department, who opened the case against the foursome under the Natural Disaster Management Law. 

On Wednesday, the court heard the other plaintiff, Police Major Zaw Naing, who opened the case under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code. 

The four standing trial are Ko Kyaw Naing Htay, Ko Oo Than Naing and Ko Myat Soe Win of the Arakan Students’ Union, and Ko Kaung Tun from the Arakan Students’ Union (Universities in Yangon). 

At their initial court hearing in March, authorities brought an additional charge against the students under the Natural Disaster Management Law, for allegedly violating COVID-19 regulations. 

Ko Kyaw Naing Htay and Ko Oo Than Naing are also facing a lawsuit under Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law for staging an unauthorised protest against human rights violations outside the Arakan State government offices in Sittwe in September 2020. Ko Toe Toe Aung, chairman of the Sittwe University Students’ Union, also took part in the September protest and faces the same charge.  

Police Major Zaw Naing also opened the case against those three, and the court heard testimony in that case on Wednesday as well. 

“Plaintiff Police Major Zaw Naing testified for both cases, filed under Section 505 and the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law,” said lawyer U Kyaw Nyunt Maung.  

“If possible, I want authorities to drop those cases,” said defendant Ko Toe Toe Aung. “Those things happened under the previous government. So, I want authorities to drop those cases.” 

The next court hearing has been scheduled for May 6.