According to local authorities, a Mandalay man has been jailed for allegedly “defaming” Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s junta rule.
Zaw Win Maung, a tattoo artist with a significant social media following, was detained at his studio in Mandalay’s Maha Aungmyay Township on Wednesday, according to a resident of the neighbourhood south of the city’s downtown core.
“The junta soldiers who arrived to take him were dressed casually. “They claimed he posted a video that defamed Min Aung Hlaing,” stated a local.
“We don’t know where he’s being held or any other details as of yet,” he continued.
The arrest was taken in response to reports on pro-junta Telegram channels that Zaw Win Maung, who normally makes funny videos on TikTok, used the platform to disseminate a video he made in 2021 of a group of people attacking a man named Min Aung Hlaing.
Later, the same Telegram channels praised his detention and shared photographs of him being imprisoned by government authorities.
At the time of publication, it was unknown what charges Zaw Win Maung was facing. Similar claimed offences, however, have often been tried under Section 66d of the Telecommunications Law, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
The junta has also repeatedly invoked Penal Code Section 505a, which deals with inciting to disorder, to muzzle critics of its rule. Law violations are also punishable by up to three years in prison.
Following interrogation, Zaw Win Maung will most likely be moved to Mandalay’s Obo Prison, which houses hundreds of political detainees, including physicians, lawyers, teachers, and members of the deposed government National League for Democracy.
Source: Myanmar Now
