Hpekon, December (24)
The military council sentenced 18 residents from Shwe Pyi Aye village in Hpekokn to three years in prison one year later after arresting them, the Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) said.
The regime forces detained the villagers on the 28th of October, 2021, after they clashed with members of the PDFs near Shwe Pyi Aye village on the side of the Hpekon-Pinlaung road in southern Shan State.
Using the villagers as human shields and sending them to prison on false charges is an unjust act, according to a PKPF official.
During the battle, the military council arrested 19 villagers as human shields by tying them up with ropes and among them, 67-year-old U Maung Yo was tortured and died at Taunggyi No. 1 Police Station, and the remaining 18 were sentenced to prison terms.
The arrestees were charged with treason on December 21 and reportedly sent to Taung Thone Lone Prison.
U Maung Yo, 67, is the oldest of those detained by the military council, while Ko Oak Nge, 21, is the youngest.
News-Than Lwin Times
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