A junta tribunal in Yangon sentenced a prominent doctor-turned-model to six years in prison on Tuesday for sharing photos and clips deemed provocative to video-hosting platforms that charge users.
Nang Mwe San and another top model, Thinzar Wint Kyaw, were detained in August and charged with “harming culture and dignity” for posting clips online, including to intimate video-hosting platform OnlyFans.
Nang Mwe San allegedly “distributed paid pornographic photos and videos that could harm Myanmar culture and dignity,” the junta said in a statement.
Trained as a doctor, Nang Mwe San had her medical license revoked in 2019 by the Myanmar Medical Council, which said her outfit in a social media post went against “Myanmar culture and tradition”.
As she lives in Yangon’s North Dagon Township, which is under the direct control of the military, the model was tried by a military tribunal, and was not allowed to hire a lawyer. She was given six years under Section 33 (a) of the Electronic Transactions Law less than two weeks after her first court hearing on Sept. 14.
A lawyer said: “Yes, she has been given six years. There is a difference between civilian courts and military tribunals in the way they examine cases. Lawyers are allowed at civilian courts, and defendants can present witnesses and evidence, and there is cross-examination of witnesses before a judgement is made. In a military tribunal, only the plaintiff is examined, and lawyers are not allowed.”
Nang Mwe San had her passport seized by the regime when she went to renew it in May as she was preparing to accompany her father to Bangkok for medical treatment. As her father could not go to Bangkok, he died on June 1.
Thinzar Wint Kyaw, who faces the same charge under Section 33 (a) of the Electronics Transactions Law, is however being tried in a civilian court in Mayangone Township, which started to hear the case on Sept. 14. The court has not yet given a ruling.
The duo participated in mass anti-coup protests along with other artists and celebrities following the military coup last year. Section 33 (a) carries a maximum term of 15 years.
