Lahtaw Brang Shawng was among 73 political prisoners that have been freed recently as part of a presidential amnesty. The displaced Kachin farmer living in an internally displaced persons camp (IDP) near Myitkyina was originally arrested in June of last year for violating Article 17/1 of the Unlawful Associations Act for association with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). Brang Shawng’s charges were later extended to being part of a KIO plot against the government. Both allegations were strongly denied by his family and contested by his lawyer Ma Hka.
After a long and controversial trial Brang Shawng was sentenced to a 2 year jail term last Friday.
The judge assigned to the case was replaced from the original magister after he refused to accept the defendant’s guilty plea upon discovering an audio recorder strapped to his badly bruised torso, hidden under his shirt, according to his lawyer Ma Hka.
Brang Shawng told the Kachin News Group shortly after his release that military affairs security (MAS) agents forced him to plead guilty.
“I completely rejected the MAS agent's claim that I was connected to the KIA (Kachin Independence Army). However I was forced to confess of being a three-star (captain rank) KIA officer and sentenced for imprisonment on July 18.”
Tomas Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Burma, reported that Brang Shawng was tortured and forced to give a false confession after visiting him in prison.
Brang Shawn's wife Ze Nyoi organized a large campaign to demand his release. This eventually pressured Aung Min, the government’s chief peace negotiation officer, to promise early this year to release him. Aung Min arrived at the Myitkyina prison to personally facilitate Brang Shawn’s release.
It will take a long time for Brang Shawn to overcome the many physically injuries and mentally trauma suffered during his frequent interrogation and lengthy incarceration, but for now he’s thankful to finally be free.
“I am very happy to be reunited with my family in the refugee camp. I also thank the pastors and individuals who contributed to my release,” Brang Shawng said.
