• Burmese
Friday, May 23, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Rights Groups Demand Release of Myanmar Students After Rakhine Protests

Zaw Zaw Htwe by Zaw Zaw Htwe
November 24, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Three students who organized protests appear in court in Mandalay in October. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy.

Three students who organized protests appear in court in Mandalay in October. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy.

4.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Yangon – Ten human rights groups have called on Myanmar’s government to free at least 36 students who organized protests over alleged human rights violations in Rakhine and Chin states.

Athan, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), Civil Rights Defenders, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Access Now, Forum Asia, Burma Human Rights Network and Article 19 issued a joint statement on Monday calling for criminal proceedings against student protesters to be dropped.

Since the second week of September, rights activists from Yangon, Mandalay, Sittwe, Loikaw and elsewhere have faced prosecution for organizing anti-government protests over restricted internet access and violence in Rakhine and Chin states.

RelatedPosts

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

May 15, 2025
4.4k
Remembering Myanmar Political Prisoners Killed at Quake-Devastated Obo Prison

Remembering Myanmar Political Prisoners Killed at Quake-Devastated Obo Prison

May 9, 2025
553
Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State

Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State

May 2, 2025
10.2k

The AAPP told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that 36 students have been detained for organizing the protests.

Eleven of the students have been jailed for up to seven years and others are in hiding.

The three students from Sittwe – Ko Toe Toe Aung, Ko Kyaw Naing Htay and Ko On Than Naing – are being prosecuted under Article 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law for protesting against internet restrictions on Sept. 9.

Charges under the Natural Disaster Management Law against the students were later dropped.

Following their arrest in Sittwe, fellow students organized a sticker campaign in Yangon and Mandalay to protest about human rights abuses in Rakhine State.

The protests then spread to Meiktila, Monywa, Pyay and Loikaw and Mandalay.

Numerous students and other activists now face lawsuits under the Penal Code, Natural Disaster Management Law and Peaceful Assembly Law.

Student activists Ko Kyaw Thiha Ye Kyaw and Ko Soe Hla Naing were convicted by four courts in Mandalay in October.

Two of the students have been sentenced to more than seven years’ imprisonment for organizing the campaigns.

Ko Aung Myo Kyaw, an executive member of the AAPP, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the students were using their rights under the 2008 Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to draw attention to the situation in Rakhine State.

He said: “Such heavy imprisonment should not be used on students who are only practicing their human rights.”

All Burma Federation of Student Unions members protest in Mandalay in September calling on the government to stop the war in Rakhine State. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy.

Ko Wai Yan Phyo Moe, vice-chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, said the charges facing the students are incompatible with democracy and restrict basic freedoms of expression.

“We want the government to withdraw all charges, cease all arrests and cancel warrants against anyone who demanded a ceasefire in Rakhine and Chin states,” he said.

In June 2019, the authorities blocked internet access on security grounds in nine townships in Rakhine State – Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon, Maungdaw and Buthidaung – and in Paletwa Township in Chin State.

The internet bans were lifted in five townships in late August 2019 only to be reinstated in February.

In August this year, the government reintroduced 2G access to all townships affected by the order. However, phone users say the connection speeds are too slow to load webpages or use apps.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Condemns UN Rohingya Resolution

Myanmar’s Decentralization Will Boost National Reconciliation: SNLD Spokesman

Three Die in Landmine Blast in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

Your Thoughts …
Tags: AAPPAccess NowAll Burma Federation of Student UnionsAmnesty InternationalArticle 19Assistance Association for Political PrisonersAthanBurma Human Rights NetworkChin StateCivil Rights DefendersFortify RightsForum AsiaHuman RightsHuman Rights Watchmilitary in politicsRakhine State
Zaw Zaw Htwe

Zaw Zaw Htwe

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta
Burma

Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta

by The Irrawaddy
August 18, 2023
26.9k

Powerful armed groups in Karen, Kachin and Kayah states say the regime is ready to topple.

Read moreDetails
Interview

Myanmar’s Junta And Its Military Face Annihilation, Arakan Army Says

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 25, 2023
22.4k

The current war in Myanmar differs from past conflicts in the country because ethnic armies are no longer on the...

Read moreDetails
In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’
Burma

In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’

by The Irrawaddy
June 25, 2024
15.7k

After capturing Thandwe Airport, the Arakan Army is just steps away from Myanmar’s most valuable beach and the crony-owned resorts...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta ‘Sweetens Deal’ For China in US$ 8 Billion SEZ And Port in Rakhine State
Myanmar-China Watch

Myanmar Junta ‘Sweetens Deal’ For China in US$ 8 Billion SEZ And Port in Rakhine State

by The Irrawaddy
December 27, 2023
14.7k

Business analysts say the concession contract was likely tweaked to offer better terms for China’s state-owned firm CITIC, which has...

Read moreDetails
Arakan Army Seizes Major Myanmar Junta Base on Bangladesh Border
Burma

Arakan Army Seizes Major Myanmar Junta Base on Bangladesh Border

by Hein Htoo Zan
May 4, 2024
13.4k

The fall of the Kyee Kan Pyin Border Guard Police headquarters exposes Maungdaw to AA attacks.

Read moreDetails
Arakan Army Steps Up War Against Junta in Myanmar’s Rakhine State With Attack on Naval Base
Burma

Arakan Army Steps Up War Against Junta in Myanmar’s Rakhine State With Attack on Naval Base

by Hein Htoo Zan
January 9, 2024
13k

Ethnic army attacks naval base in southern township, after seizing more outposts in the north. On Monday, it admitted coordinating...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato attends a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday. / Kyodo

Japan Reiterates Concerns Over Disputed Islands to China's Foreign Minister

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (center) attends the launch of the MadeInTaiwan submarine program on Tuesday. / Tsai Ing-wen / Twitter

Taiwan Launches Construction of First Indigenous Submarine

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

1 week ago
4.4k
Kokang’s New Power Play: Economic Integration With China

Kokang’s New Power Play: Economic Integration With China

2 days ago
1.2k

Most Read

  • Adidas Shoe Factory Agrees to Striking Workers’ Demands

    Adidas Shoe Factory Agrees to Striking Workers’ Demands

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • India Asked to Probe Myanmar Rebel Deaths

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Myanmar Junta Choppers Down in Battle for Kachin’s Bhamo

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Indian Troops Killed Myanmar Resistance Fighters to Send a Message’

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Unopposed on World Stage, China and Russia Prop Up a Puppet Regime in Myanmar 

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.