Myanmar court jails Japanese filmmaker for 10 years over sedition charge

A Japanese documentary filmmaker has been jailed by a military junta-controlled in Myanmar for 10 years for allegedly breaking an immigration law and encouraging dissent against the ruling military, the Japan Times newspaper reported.

The 26-year-old filmmaker, Toru Kubota, was arrested in Myanmar's main city of Yangon in July last year during a protest.

On Wednesday, Kubota was handed three years for sedition, and seven years for electronic communications-related violations, the newspaper reported citing a source.

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The Japanese citizen is currently detained in Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison, where political prisoners are kept. Proceedings are still underway over his alleged violation of immigration law.

In the court that was set up inside the jail, it was argued that Kubota entered the Southeast Asian country from neighbouring Thailand using a tourist visa.

The military also claimed that he entered the country for the sole purpose of participating in the protest and communicating with protesters while filming.

He has been further accused of reporting on the Rohingya Muslim minority group and disseminating false information.

The Rohingya have been among the most persecuted group under Myanmar's military regime and in the world, according to the UN. The ill-treatment meted out by the regime has forced hundreds and thousands of them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has urged the Myanmar authorities to facilitate his release, but there has been confirmation from the military officials so far, the newspaper reported.

The next hearing is scheduled to take place next Wednesday when the court will hear about his immigration case.

This is the second time a Japanese citizen has been arrested and convicted in Myanmar.

Last April, a Japanese freelance journalist, Yuki Kitazumi, was arrested and convicted for spreading false news reports. But he was released a month after and returned to Japan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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