BLOGGER JAILED FOR 20 YEARS

BURMA: BLOGGER JAILED FOR 20 YEARS, POET GETS TWO YEARS A young Burmese blogger and a poet who disguised an attack on the country'smilitary leader Than Shwe have received heavy jail sentences, report Mizzima News, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. Blogger Nay Phone Latt, 28,

Than Shwe
was sentenced to 20 years and six months injail by a court in Rangoon's Insein prison on 10 November. The poet, Saw Wai, received a two year sentence for a Valentine's Day poemthat mocked Than Shwe published in the weekly "Love Journal". The firstwords of each line of the Burmese language poem spelled out the message"Power Crazy Senior General Than Shwe". Even the lawyer representing Nay Phone Latt, Aung Thein, is himself servingfour months for contempt of court for complaining of unfair treatmentduring earlier proceedings. Nay Phone Latt's mother, Aye Than, who was not allowed to attend the trial,said, "He is the first ever blogger to be arrested in Burma. I have no ideawhy they punished my son with such a harsh judgment." Nay Phone Latt is a former member of the opposition National League forDemocracy, who owns three internet cafés in the capital Rangoon. HisBurmese language blog, http://www.nayphonelatt.net/ , provided invaluableinformation about events during and after the "Saffron Revolution", themonk-led protests last September that were put down by the military. His was sentenced to 15 years for offences under the Electronics Act, twoyears for "creating public alarm" and three and a half years for offencesunder the Video Act. The charges included possession of a banned video ofthe unrest. The government appears to be expediting the trials of activists involved inlast year's protests, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Morethan two dozen activists were sentenced to harsh prison terms this weekthat will keep them in jail long past a 2010 election. On 11 November, 14members of the Generation 88 Students group were sentenced to prison termsof 65 years each. Amnesty International says the junta holds more than 2,100 politicalprisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 in June 2007 - before thepro-democracy demonstrations. RSF is asking bloggers worldwide to show solidarity with Nay Phone Latt bypublishing his photo on their blogs. RSF and the Writers in PrisonCommittee (WiPC) of International PEN are also urging protest letters to besent to Burmese embassies worldwide requesting his and Saw Wai's release. Visit these links:- Mizzima News: http://tinyurl.com/5w24bt- CPJ: http://tinyurl.com/5pbjnw- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29243- WiPC: http://tinyurl.com/55wzbc- Amnesty International: http://tinyurl.com/5wc2u2