Five members of the Peacock Generation—Kay KhineTun, ZayarLwin, PaingPyo Min, Paing Ye Thu and Zaw Lin Htutwere have been convicted recently under Section 505 (a) of Myanmar’s Penal Code at Mayangon Township Court in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, and sentenced to one year in prison.
Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code prohibits the circulation of statements and reports with the intent to cause officers or soldiers in the Myanmar Armed Forces to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in their duties, and carries a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison.
The group, a satirical poetry troupe were arrested in April 2019 after their Thangyat performance which featured them wearing military uniforms and criticizing the authorities.
Thangyat is a century-old Myanmar traditional art form which fuses poetry, comedy and music, and is usually performed during Myanmar’s New Year water festival in April and other festive occasions. Public performances of Thangyat were banned in 1989 by the military and were allowed again in 2013.
In March 2019, ahead of this year’s water festival festivities, authorities in Yangoon required Thangyat lyrics to be submitted to a government panel for approval.
For livestreaming performances on Facebook, ZayYarLwin, PaingPhyo Min and Paing Ye Thu also face charges under the Telecommunication Act for “online defamation.” An additional member of the troupe, Su YadanarMyint, also faces these charges.
Responding to the conviction and one-year prison sentence handed down to five members of the Peacock Generation, Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s research director for South East Asia, said: “This is an appalling verdict. Punishing people for performing a piece of satire speaks volumes about the dire state of freedom of expression in Myanmar.”
“These activists are prisoners of conscience. They have already spent six months behind bars, just because the Myanmar authorities are too thin-skinned to tolerate the mildest criticism. Thangyat is a time-honoured Myanmar tradition, and it is absurd to think it poses any real danger to the Myanmar military,” she added.
“The authorities must immediately quash these convictions, drop all further charges against the Peacock Generation, and release its members immediately. With a general election just around the corner, the NLD government led by Aung San SuuKyi must use the legislative power it still possesses to urgently repeal or amend all laws that unduly restrict freedom of expression,” stressed Mariner.
Responding to the conviction and one-year prison sentence handed down to five members of the Peacock Generation, Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s research director for South East Asia, said: “This is an appalling verdict. Punishing people for performing a piece of satire speaks volumes about the dire state of freedom of expression in Myanmar.”
“These activists are prisoners of conscience. They have already spent six months behind bars, just because the Myanmar authorities are too thin-skinned to tolerate the mildest criticism. Thangyat is a time-honoured Myanmar tradition, and it is absurd to think it poses any real danger to the Myanmar military.
“The authorities must immediately quash these convictions, drop all further charges against the Peacock Generation, and release its members immediately. With a general election just around the corner, the NLD government led by Aung San SuuKyi must use the legislative power it still possesses to urgently repeal or amend all laws that unduly restrict freedom of expression.”
Earlier this year, the military arrested filmmaker Min HtinKoKoGyialso under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code for making a series of Facebook posts criticizing the Myanmar’s military’s role in politics. Despite his health concerns – he underwent a major surgery for liver cancer early this year – his bail request was denied and he received a one-year prison sentence. (Source: Amnesty International)