Three Kachin activists have been sentenced to six months in prison according to an article in the Myanmar Times. The activists have been accused of defaming the Myanmar army by hosting protests earlier this year highlighting the fact that civilians were trapped by fighting in their home state. Lum Zawng, Nang Pu and Zau Jat were sentenced to six months in prison and fined K500,000 each on December 7. “We feel that this is unfair,” Lum Zawng told journalists outside the court. “Our lawsuit shows that the rule of law in our country is at its worst state, and we are saddened by the decision of the court”. The trio helped organize demonstrations held in Kachin State in April and May this year. The fighting between the Myanmar army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) left thousands displaced, caught behind the conflict without access to food. The protesters had called for the evacuation of civilians as well as an end to airstrikes on civilian areas. The fighting between the army and the KIA is described by some as the longest civil war in the world. The war restarted in 2011, after a 17-year ceasefire. Since then, at least 100,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.
