Major Rights Groups Urge Myanmar To Release Detained Student Protesters

Faizan Hashmi Published November 23, 2020 | 07:10 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2020) The Myanmar authorities should immediately drop all charges against student activists and peaceful protesters, who are accused of organizing recent protests, including those calling for an end to internet blackouts across the conflict-torn Rakhine and Chin states, a coalition of 10 prominent human rights groups said in a joint statement on Monday.

In September, members of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) organized a series of anti-government campaigns, after which police arrested about 25 activists. The ABFSU called on the authorities to restore internet access in those parts of the Rakhine and Chin states, where the network was shut since June 2019 for security reasons. The shut down exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in an area already destabilized by a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, as a Buddhist majority insurgent group � the Arakan Army � is fighting for political autonomy for the Arakanese population there.

"We, the undersigned 10 human rights organizations, call on the Myanmar authorities to immediately end criminal proceedings against student activists and other individuals charged in relation to recent peaceful protest activities.

We call on the Myanmar authorities to immediately and unconditionally release those detained for simply exercising their human rights," the statement published online read.

The coalition of human rights watchdogs includes Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, Access Now, ARTICLE 19, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Athan, Burma Human Rights Network, Civil Rights Defenders, Fortify Rights and FORUM-Asia.

The detained activists are facing charges under the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, the Myanmar Criminal Code, and the Natural Disaster Management Law, according to the statement.

"It's shocking that students are facing long prison sentences for peacefully criticizing human rights abuses in Rakhine State," Linda Lakhdhir, the regional legal adviser at HRW, noted adding that "neither peaceful protest nor criticism of the government is a crime, and the Myanmar authorities should stop treating them as such."

The Myanmar government announced the restoration of the internet this past August but local residents told media in the same month that only 2G services had been restored.