Public Peaceful Protests documented by Athan in January 2025
Summary
According to media monitored by Athan, the public held 141 non-violent protests in various forms during January 2025. The military junta resorted to violence to suppress these peaceful protests on one occasion. The Sagaing Region experienced the highest number of protests, which Athan attributes to the strong presence of the people’s forces in the area.
The incident of the arrest in January 2025
On January 14, 2025, former political prisoner Daw Ni Mo Hlaing and her niece Ma Su Myat Htet were sentenced to 10 years in prison by the military at the Thingangyun District Court in Yangon Region. They were convicted under Section 50 (j) of the Anti-Terrorism Law. Daw Ni Mo Hlaing was initially arrested in February 2024 while attending the trial of her other niece, Ma Su Yi Lin, who is the president of the Student Union at the Eastern University of Yangon. Ma Su Myat Htet was arrested the day after Daw Ni Mo Hlaing’s arrest.
According to media monitoring conducted by Athan, Ma Su Yi Lin, the President of the Student Union of Yangon Eastern University, was illegally arrested on December 19, 2021. On March 31, 2022, a military junta-run prison court sentenced her to five years in prison and hard labor for charges that included forgery of a national identity card (NRC) and violations of Section 505-A of the Penal Code.
Ma Su Yi Lin was then tried at the Eastern District Court on September 8 and 14, 2023, where she faced additional charges under Section 50-N of the Anti-Terrorism Law. Subsequently, on February 29, 2024, she was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Yangon Eastern District Court under Section 50(N) of the Anti-Terrorism Law.