Prominent Arakanese women’s activist sentenced to prison on incitement charge

By Admin 19 Mar 2024

DMG Newsroom
19 March 2024, Sittwe

Daw Nyo Aye, chairwoman of the Rakhine Women’s Network (RWN), who was arrested by police and charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, was sentenced to two years in prison by the Sittwe Township Court on March 18, according to family members.

The Sittwe Township Court sentenced Daw Nyo Aye to two years in prison Section 505(b) of the Penal Code during a hearing on March 18.

“My mother was sentenced to two years in prison for attending an event to mark the 56th anniversary of ‘rice crisis day’ in Arakan State,” Daw Saw Mya Thandar, the daughter of Daw Nyo Aye, told DMG.

A prominent women’s advocate, Daw Nyo Aye was taken from her home by police on August 15 for questioning over the event in Sittwe held two days earlier to celebrate the anniversary of “rice crisis day” in Arakan State. The head of the No. 1 police station in Sittwe subsequently filed a lawsuit against her under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.

Daw Nyo Aye was arraigned at the Sittwe Township Court on August 29 for the first time. Family members want Daw Nyo Aye to receive medical treatment as she has high blood pressure as well as fatty liver disease and her health condition is critical, Daw Saw Mya Thandar added.

“My mother is not very well and she has fatty liver disease. She experiences poor mental and physical health in prison. If she receives treatment in the hospital for a week, she will be fine. She is denied medical treatment in prison,” she explained.

Daw Nyo Aye is a prominent and active advocate for women’s issues in Arakan State and founder of the RWN.

August 13 marked the 56th anniversary of “rice crisis day” in Arakan State, a date of tragic brutality in 1967, under the rule of then dictator General Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).