Rangoon (AFP)
A Burmese journalist has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for spreading false information about the country's coronavirus epidemic, his lawyer said on Friday.
Zaw Ye Htet, editor-in-chief of a news website, was arrested on April 13, the day an article was put online that falsely announced the death of a person in Karen by coronavirus ( East).
His trial was held on May 20, a few weeks later, when the Burmese justice system is known to let suspects languish for many months behind bars before trying them.
"He was sentenced under section 505 (b) to 2 years in prison," said his lawyer Myint Thuzar Maw.
Section 505 (b) is a loosely worded law that is often used against journalists or activists on the pretext of statements that may cause fear or anxiety among the public.
"We will appeal this unfair decision," journalist's wife Phyu Phyu Win told AFP by telephone.
Burma has so far confirmed only 199 cases of coronavirus and six deaths, although the small number of people tested leaves experts worried that the real numbers are much higher.
Karen State, which borders Thailand, saw more than 16,000 migrant workers return to Burma in early April as the pandemic caused mass unemployment in Thailand and before the border was closed.
So far, this region of Burma has recorded only two cases of coronavirus and no deaths.
The Burmese government has warned that there will be prosecution for false information about the pandemic, but this is the first known case.
He is also preparing a new text on communicable disease control that would make it even easier to criminalize journalists.
Human Rights Watch's deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, called the future law "recipe for disaster" and warned about access to information.
Under international law, restrictions on freedom of expression must be drafted with the utmost clarity, he added.
© 2020 AFP