This won’t come as much as a surprise to any of us and this report in The Irrawaddy cautions us to remember the state of civil society in Burma.
The paper reports on 29 year old defence lawyer Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, one of four defense lawyers convicted of contempt of court after complaining of unfair treatment by the Rangoon court.
The Irrawaddy writes:
Burmese Defense Lawyer Flees to Thailand, Blasts Regime
A young Burmese lawyer sentenced to six months imprisonment for questioning court proceedings against his dissident clients has fled to Thailand after a hazardous journey from Rangoon.
Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, 29, was one of four defense lawyers convicted of contempt of court after complaining of unfair treatment by the Rangoon court. The other three—Aung Thein, Khin Maung Shein and Nyi Nyi Htwe—are being detained by Burmese authorities.
Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, who escaped to Thailand some two weeks ago, gave a press conference in the Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot on Monday, accusing the Burmese courts of allowing themselves to become tools of the Burmese regime. He had been engaged to represent more than 20 political activists.
In a telephone interview on Monday with The Irrawaddy, Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min said:
“There are no fair trials in Burma. Defense lawyers are denied the right to defend their clients. The Burmese authority is using the courts to pressure political activists by pronouncing long terms of imprisonment.”
