News Briefs (July 2008)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Burma Charges 14 Activists for Suu Kyi Protest

A Burmese court has charged 14 people for causing "public offence" during a protest marking the birthday of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a lawyer said on Thursday. The group, arrested by pro-junta thugs outside the headquarters of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) on June 19, were also charged with unlawful assembly on Wednesday, NLD lawyer Aung Thein said. The group had demanded the release of Suu Kyi, whose house arrest was extended in May. The Nobel peace laureate has been confined to her Rangoon home for nearly 13 of the past 19 years, with her latest detention beginning in May 2003.

Last week, a popular local blogger was also charged with causing "public offence" by posting caricatures of the country's ruling generals on the Internet. The junta was caught by surprise last year when bloggers and citizen journalists relayed pictures and video to the outside world of the regime's crackdown on monk-led protests against military rule and economic hardship. (Reuters)