Well-known female creatives including actresses, singers and film makers need to tread carefully in post-coup Myanmar.
Film maker Ma Aeint fell foul of the notorious Article 505 (A) of Myanmar’s criminal code which penalizes “causing fear, spreading fake news or agitating against government employees.” She was alleged to have given money to an illegal organization that opposes the February coup and the return of the country to totalitarian military control, according to media reports.
Ma Aeint pleaded not guilty to the charges and had legal representation at the hearing at a prison court, held within the notorious Insein Prison in Yangon.
On 29 April she was sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour.
Her sentence is a reminder of the dangers Myanmar citizens face in speaking out or doing anything that might be perceived as opposing the military takeover in February 2021. A number of actors, actresses and social media influencers have received attention from the authorities when they have spoken out or were seen, or photographed, taking part in the Spring Revolution movement that opposes military rule. Ma Aeint’s sentence is the maximum available under the law, but the total may be reduced by the 10 months she has already been officially detained, reports Variety magazine. She was arrested in early June 2021 in Yangon and was held for a month in judicial detention. She was then transferred to Insein prison, where she was treated as a political prisoner. COVID-19 conditions may have delayed the trial. Ma Aeint is the producer of the film “Money Has Four Legs,” which was directed by Maung Sun and began screening at festivals in 2020 before Myanmar was hit by the military coup.
Ma Aeint and Maung Sun co-wrote the script, which centres on a filmmaker coming to terms with the realities of making a debut film and facing down censorship by the authorities, reports Variety magazine. An international film makers group has spoken out about Ma Aeint’s case.
“The human rights situation in Myanmar under its military regime have long been regarded as among the worst in the world,” says International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) board member and European Film Academy chairman Mike Downey. “This harsh sentencing of Ma Aeint is a clear example and representation of the cruelty of the current regime and its desire to clamp down on the basic rights of freedom of expression. The ICFR will continue to campaign for her release and we deplore this act of barbarous sentencing to the full extent of the law.”
ICFR and its founding institutions, the European Film Academy, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and International Film Festival Rotterdam, produced a statement, calling on the Myanmar authorities to immediately and unconditionally release filmmaker Ma Aeint.
In their statement, the institutions said they were very concerned for the well-being of Ma Aeint. “We encourage all film and culture institutions around the world to join us in calling upon the Myanmar authorities to immediately and unconditionally release her. If there are any charges against her, they must be made clear, though her safety must first be guaranteed,” the statement says.
