A former newspaper columnist has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined K100,000 (US$63) for violating the country’s sedition law in a Facebook post.
Ngar Min Swe, also known as Sar Min Swe, was found guilty in Yangon Western District Court on Monday of inciting hatred against the government in his Facebook post of January 24, in violation of section 124A of the penal code.
The court ruled against Sar Min Swe after 11 hearings. He did not have a lawyer but represented himself in court.
During the Tatmadaw (military) government, U Min Swe was a weekly columnist in state-owned newspapers who wrote articles critical of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now head of government. His pro-government articles at the time earned him the nickname “Phar (Toady) Min Swe”.