US calls on Myanmar to release religious leader

The US Department of State has condemned the six-year prison sentence imposed on Myanmar’s religious leader, the Rev. Dr. Hkalam Samson.

The Myitkying Prison Court in Kachin State sentenced him on 7 April on charges of alleged terrorism, conspiracy and inciting opposition to the military regime.

Immediately after the trial, his wife said that Dr. Samson had committed no crime.

Despite his innocence, the verdict has been handed down. We accept it as God’s will,” Zhon Nyoir told RFA.

His lawyer, Dong Nang, said he had filed an appeal against the sentence.

“We already gave the request and we have to appeal until the end. I will do everything I can,” she said.

In a statement Monday, a State Department spokesman called the charges “fabricated” and demanded Dr. Samson’s immediate release.

“Burma’s brutal military regime has targeted the Reverend Dr. Samson, a prominent and highly respected religious figure, for his courageous work, which includes advocating for freedom of religion or belief,” the statement said, highlighting Dr’s dedication Samson to support the peace process. , fighting drug abuse in Myanmar, pressing for justice and equality for Christians in Kachin State and across the country, and facilitating the safe return of more than 100,000 IDPs to their homes in Kachin.

the 65 year old He is a former Chairman of the Kachin Baptist Convention and Chairman of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly.

Dr. Samson suffers from congenital pneumonia and high blood pressure.

He was arrested at the Mandalay International Airport last December, en route to Thailand for medical treatment. Authorities told him his name was on a no-fly list and questioned him overnight at the Central Regional Military Command headquarters.

The next day, the authorities took him back to Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, where he was arrested again.

At the time, Dr. Samson was still working as a consultant to the Kachin Baptist Convention, which has about 400,000 members, most of whom are ethnic Kachin.

He was also Chairman of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly, a group of local religious and political leaders who help foster communication between the Kachin Independence Organization, an ethnic Kachin political group, and the local community.

In October last year, he helped organize hospital treatment and funerals for those injured and killed in a junta airstrike at an annual concert organized by the Kachin Independence Organization. The group’s armed wing has been actively fighting junta troops since the coup and training the anti-regime People’s Defense Forces.

More than 60 people were killed in the attack, residents said at the time.

In 2017, Dr. Samson visited the US White House and thanked Donald Trump for imposing travel bans on top Myanmar military commanders involved in the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. He also called on the then president to take action against religious persecution in Myanmar and support the country’s transition to genuine democracy.

He was sued by Major Thu Aung Zaw of the junta’s Northern Regional Military Command, based in Kachin state, for speaking about Myanmar’s religious and human rights situation during the meeting, but the case was later dismissed.

The US State Department ended Monday’s statement calling on the Myanmar junta to halt the violence and persecution of civilian and religious activists that have marked the more than two years since the military seized power in a coup. of State.

“We urge the regime to cease its inconceivable crackdown on religious actors, communities and places of worship in Myanmar and end the violence,” the statement said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.