In Sittwe Prison, a junta court has sentenced over 100 residents from Byian Phyu Village to three years in prison under Section 17 (1) of the Unlawful Association Act. They were accused of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA).

The villagers were taken to Sittwe after a raid on their village in May. During the raid, junta soldiers, along with Arakan Liberation Party and Muslim militias, killed more than 70 people and detained over 300. Some villagers were also relocated to Sittwe town.

The regime released 30 elderly men but charged 270 others, including 17 students around 18 years old. A family member said over 100 villagers received three-year sentences in the first batch, and the remaining 170 are expected to be sentenced soon.

The remaining detainees are still in Sittwe Prison. Meanwhile, junta troops in Byian Phyu Village have looted homes.

BOB Post