Friday, July 27, 2012

Judge tells Brang Shawng’s lawyer don’t talk about trial

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Friday, 27 July 2012 13:35 Mizzima News

The judge in the trial of a Kachin man whose lawyer said his client was tortured to obtain a confession has ordered the lawyer not to share information about court proceedings with the public.

On June 17, Brang Shawng (shown here) was detained in a refugee camp in Jan Mai Kawng Baptist Church in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State in northern Burma. Photo: Kachin News Group

Brawng Shawng was arrested in Myitkyina on June 17. In subsequent court proceedings, his lawyer, Ma Hka, introduced into testimony wounds that he said were inflicted on his client during interrogation by members of a Burmese Military Security unit, whose members denied that the defendant was tortured.

Brang Shawng was arrested by Burmese authorities in Jan Mai Kawng Internally Displaced Persons camp under suspicion of being part of a bombing operation and of  having contact with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Following his arrest, his wife said Brang Shawng had wounds on his cheeks that appeared to have been inflicted by a hot object, stab wounds on his thighs and other wounds on his body.

A Kachin blog (jinghpawkasa.blogspot.com) published photos of Brang Shawng injuries and what appeared to be court testimony from his lawyer Ma Hka’s cross examinnation of Police Officer Aung Mya Than on the website on July 11, according to an article by the Kachin News Group (KNG) on Thursday. Aung Mya Than was one of several officers who arrested Brang Shawng.

Both Aung Mya Than and Military Security Officer Kyaw Zwa Lin denied in court that Brang Shawng was tortured.

Defense lawyer Ma Hka said Kyaw Myint Naing [another police officer who recently testified in the trial] said the accused did not have wounds on his body when he was arrested, contradicting what Kyaw Zwa Lin said in court.

“Kyaw Zwa Lin said [during court testimony] that Brang Shawng was already injured when they arrested him,” Ma Hka was quoted by KNG. Kyaw Zwa Lin denied Brang Shawng was beaten by police officers both times he appeared before court, said the article.

During the next court date scheduled for July 26, judge Myint Htoo will hear testimony from 17 witnesses, said KNG.

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