Min Thukha Kyaw, the former chair of the Dagon University Students’ Union, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a military tribunal on Monday, a family member has confirmed.
“He called me during his appearance at the tribunal with the help of a prison staff member. He told me he had been sentenced,” said the relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Min Thukha Kyaw was arrested three months ago and charged with incitement under Section 505a of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
It was unclear at the time of reporting what additional charges had been laid against him that would account for the length of his sentence.
Min Thukha Kyaw was arrested at his home in Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township on June 6 and accused of receiving military and explosives training from the Kachin Independence Army.
He has been held in Yangon’s Insein Prison since his arrest and has been denied access to a lawyer. His family has also been unable to meet with him, the relative said.
“He lost that legal right [to hire a lawyer] because martial law was imposed,” said lawyer Thet Naung.
Myanmar Now called officials at the Prisons Department and Insein Prison for comment on Min Thukha Kyaw’s case, but did not receive a response.
Martial law was declared in several Yangon townships, including North Okkalapa, in March amid massive protests against the coup staged by the military the previous month.
A military tribunal with sweeping powers, including the power to impose the death penalty, has replaced the judiciary in the affected townships.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 1,000 people have been killed and nearly 8,000 have been detained since the military seized power on February 1.
