A prominent farmers’ activist appeared in court on Friday in what watchdog organizations say is part of an escalating crackdown on land rights campaigners in Myanmar Reuters reported on 6 September.
Saw Maung Gyi, an activist from the 88 Karen Generation Student Organization, was accused of harbouring someone from an armed group, Maung Hla, a police official in Hpa-an in southeastern Myanmar, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
If convicted, Saw Maung Gyi faces up to three years in prison. Human Rights Watch said he is a victim of “government intimidation” based on “trumped-up charges.”
The case is part of a broader campaign targeting land rights activists, as corrupt politicians and businessmen connected to Myanmar’s powerful military aim to push small farmers off their ancestral territory, the rights group said.
Human Rights Watch said land disputes have increased dramatically since 2011, when a semi-civilian, reformist government took power after half a century of military rule.