Graffiti Students Released, Vow to Continue Protest Campaign

By San Yamin Aung 22 December 2015

RANGOON — Three students jailed for spraying anti-government slogans on the grounds of their university were released from Mandalay’s Obo Prison on Tuesday morning, but have vowed to continue their advocacy for students behind bars elsewhere.

Naing Ye Wai, Aung San Oo, Jit Too, and Nyan Lin Htet, all four students of Mandalay’s Yadanabon University, were arrested in July after spray-painting messages calling on the government to resign and demanding the release of a number of students and their supporters detained during the nationwide demonstrations against the National Education Law earlier this year.

The four were found guilty of unlawful assembly and incitement charges and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, well short of the possible three-year maximum sentence under the charges.

Those released on Tuesday had their sentences reduced by a week for good behavior. Naing Ye Wai, president of the Yadanabon University Student Union, is serving an additional three months and remains in prison.

Aung San Oo, 20, said the trio planned to continue their advocacy for education reform and the students detained in Pegu Division’s Thayawady Prison after the infamous Letpadan protest crackdown on Mar. 10.

“We will keep demanding the release of detained students and their supporters in effective ways,” he told The Irrawaddy.