On November 21, 2015, five individuals were arrested in Myanmar for publishing materials “that could damage national security.” Their offense? Printing calendars. It sounds surreal but such is the reality in the age of the “War on Terror.” Daily and mundane activities can and have been prosecuted by states under the rubric of “protecting national security,” targeting not only dissidents but regular civilians going about their daily lives.
That’s what happened to Kyaw Kyaw, the owner of a printing company in the capital city of Yangon, when he and four of his colleagues were detained, made to plead guilty and pay a fine of $1 million Khyat ($770 USD) after which they were released. The release was short lived: the five were rearrested only three days later on charges that they violated article 505(b) of the Burmese penal code, which states that publishing material “with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility.” (Courtesy of The Diplomat)
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