Myanmar: Authorities reportedly sentenced Japanese documentary filmmaker to prison Oct. 6 /update 1

Event

A military court in Myanmar reportedly sentenced a Japanese national to seven years in prison Oct. 6 for allegedly violating a law on electronic communications and three years for incitement. The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) earlier detained the Japanese national in South Dagon Township, Yangon, July 30. The individual is a documentary filmmaker and was recording a pro-democracy demonstration. Officials arrested the person along with two locals and seized some filming equipment. Reports indicate that the military court likely intervened as martial law was in effect in the area where he was detained. The court is also deliberating charges of immigration law violations given that the Japanese national entered Myanmar on a tourist visa.

Context

The Japanese filmmaker's arrest and subsequent sentencing highlight the need to avoid being in the vicinity of demonstrations and recording security personnel's activities in Myanmar, particularly following the February 2021 military coup. The detention also signals the continued media restrictions and the threat of arbitrary or political detention in the country. Past detained foreigners who have since been released include a Japanese journalist who was in the authorities' custody April-May 2021. The regime also continues to incarcerate an Australian advisor to the former state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi since his February 2021 arrest, a former British Ambassador to Myanmar, as well as an American national who was detained in July 2022; the circumstances of the arrest and the charges against the American citizen are unclear.