On October 18, 2021, Zarganar was conditionally released after over six months in arbitrary detention. Zarganar was arrested and detained by the military junta on April 6, 2021, as part of a broader campaign by the military to crackdown on cultural figures following the February 2021 military coup. While the legal basis of Zarganar’s arrest is unclear, the junta had recently issued arrest warrants charging at least 100 people in the literary, arts, and journalism fields with spreading information that undermines stability and rule of law. Zarganar had written critically about the coup on Facebook shortly before being arrested. In 2011, Zarganar was released from a 35-year sentence for violating the Electronic Transactions Act, which regulates electronic communications, as a part of widespread general amnesty.
Case History
Maung Thura (“Zarganar”) is a poet, opposition activist, and leading comedian in Burma. He began a career in activism through comedy while completing his undergraduate degree. As a performer, he has drawn national attention as a primary political commentator in Burma. His poetry has also been published in the PEN International anthology This Prison Where I Live.
On November 21, 2008, Zarganar was sentenced to 45 years in prison for violating the Electronic Transactions Act, which regulates electronic communications. On November 27, 2008, he was sentenced to a further 14 years in prison for offenses under four sections of the criminal code, which brought his total sentence to 59 years. On February 14, 2009, the Rangoon Division Court reduced Zarganar’s prison term by 24 years, leaving him to serve 35 years. He collapsed in the Myitkyina prison in late April 2009, and is reportedly suffering from heart problems, jaundice, and a stomach ulcer.
On October 12, 2011, Zarganar was released from Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State, northern Myanmar, as part of a widespread general amnesty. There are concerns, however, that his release is conditional. In an interview with the BBC after he arrived back in Rangoon, he said, “If I do something wrong they will send me back. I’m not happy today because there are so many of my friends still in prison.”