Karen Women’s Groups: Government must release Naw Ohn Hla

02 July 2015
Karen Women’s Groups: Government must release Naw Ohn Hla
Photo: Thet Ko/Mizzima

The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) and Karen Women’s Empowerment Group (KWEG) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Naw Ohn Hla, according to a joint press release from the two community organisations on 30 June.
‘Naw Ohn Hla was imprisoned in Burma for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression and opinion,’ the statement said. 
Yesterday, the 30 June,she was sentenced to a six-month jail term with hard labour for a peaceful prayer service at the Shwedagon Pagoda eight years ago. She is already serving a four year, four month sentence in Insein Prison for her connection to demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy in Yangon after the killing of an unarmed woman at a protest outside the Letpadaung Copper Mine. 
The statement continues, ‘Naw Ohn Hla’s incarceration, and the continuing series of prosecutions, demonstrates that the Burma government is not serious about establishing democracy and allowing civilians fundamental freedoms. We call on the Burma government to immediately release Naw Ohn Hla and dismiss all charges against her, fulfilling the promises made to the international community to allow citizens to exercise basic rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international law and to establish a true democracy in Burma.’