183 CSOs condemn arrest, prosecution of anti-war student protesters 

By Aung Htein 23 Oct 2020

Aung Htein |DMG
23 October 2020, Sittwe

A total of 183 civil society organisations issued a joint statement on October 23 condemning the detention of student protesters demanding an end to armed conflict in Arakan and Chin states. 

The arrests are not in conformity with the law, according to Maung Saungkha, executive director of the freedom of expression advocacy group Athan, which is one of the CSO signatories to the statement. 

“It is completely unfair to prosecute and impose such unjust laws under these circumstances. We think these arrests are a serious violation of freedom of expression,” he added. 

The 183 CSOs, including the All Arakan Students’ & Youths’ Congress and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), have called for the immediate and unconditional release of all of the detained students. 

In addition, the civil society organisations have urged the government and the Tatmadaw to declare an unconditional ceasefire in all parts of the country, including Arakan State, and to find a political solution to the conflict.  

Arbitrarily arresting and punishing student protesters is a violation of their democratic rights, said Ko Zaw Zaw Tun, secretary of the Rakhine Ethnics Congress (REC), which joined the 183 CSOs’ call for the unconditional release of the detained students. 

“They staged protests against the government for the good of the country. The government and responsible armed groups need to understand them,” Ko Zaw Zaw Tun said. 

Three student leaders from the Arakan Students’ Union staged a protest in front of the state government offices in Sittwe over human rights abuses in Arakan State on September 9. 

Anti-war demonstrations and poster campaigns led by the All Burma Federation of Students Unions were also held in cities such as Mandalay, Yangon, Meikhtila and Monywa. 

Since September, more than a dozen people have seen charges brought against them under the Peaceful Assembly Law, the Natural Disaster Management Law and the Penal Code for staging demonstrations against armed conflict, human rights abuses and internet restrictions in Arakan State. 

That includes Ko Soe Hla Naing and Ko Kyaw Thiha Ye Kyaw from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, who have been sentenced to six years in prison for staging an anti-war protest last month. 

Hostilities between the military and the Arakan Army have flared with regularity in western Myanmar since late 2018, and civilian casualties continue to climb.