11 sentences for Myanmar rights activist

The rights activist was found guilty Thursday of disturbing public order — the 11th sentence he has faced from that days-long march through Yangon in late April and early May. Township court by township court, his sentence has grown. He is now slated to spend the next 12 years and four months behind bars, according to his wife, Than Than Maw. ‘The relentless efforts of the Myanmar authorities to silence a critical voice must end immediately,’ said Rupert Abbott of rights group Amnesty International. ‘The charges ... are farcical. He has done nothing but express his opinions.’ Myanmar has been grappling with political reforms since 2011, when the repressive junta ceded power to a government headed by President Thein Sein. It released thousands of political prisoners and eased media restrictions, but once again is prosecuting people for expressing themselves or peacefully protesting. Most have been charged under a law that bars protests without a permit, or another that prohibits spreading statements that cause alarm or inflame others to act against the state. Scores of human rights defenders and activists have faced multiple trials on the same charges, according to AP.