Former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu was indicted on Friday as he appeared via video link for a hearing into the lawsuit brought against him under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code, an incitement provision.  

U Nyi Pu made a statement at the hearing in which he pleaded not guilty, said lawyer U Aung Sit Min, but the Sittwe Township Court proceeded with an indictment against him under Section 505(b), which criminalises speech “likely to cause fear or alarm in the public.”

U Nyi Pu’s next court hearing has been scheduled for July 22, when prosecution witnesses who have already been questioned previously will testify again, U Aung Sit Min said.

Deputy Sittwe Township Administrator U Kyaw Thein opened the lawsuit against U Nyi Pu on February 22, some three weeks after the military seized power in a coup and began arresting hundreds of National League for Democracy (NLD) politicians, activists and supporters.

U Nyi Pu has been charged in connection with a statement issued by the NLD’s Central Executive Committee on February 13.

Conviction under Section 505(b) carries with it a sentence of up to two years in prison.

U Nyi Pu is being detained in a military cantonment and is in good health, his lawyer said.