By Ashin Mettacara
Popular Burmese comedian, film actor, film director, and blogger Zarganar, was sentenced 59 years imprisonment on November 27th. On the same day he was honoured arts awards for human rights (activities?).
He was transferred from Rangoon's Insein Prison to Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State on December 4th. On the same day he was given Cyber-Dissident award by the RSF.
Zarganar was arrested in June after giving interviews to foreign media in which he criticised the regime's slow response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 84,000 people.
Popular Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt was also honored Cyber-Dissident award by the RSF. He is a 28-year-old blogger and organiser of the Myanmar Bloggers Society. He organised more than 400 Burmese bloggers in September before Saffron Revolution led by the Buddhist monks in 2007.
He was arrested in January and sentenced to 20 years and six months imprisonment for posting caricatures of military leader General Than Shwe on his blog (Nayphonelatt.Net).
But both Zargarnar and Nay Phone Latt are not able to travel to Paris to receive the prize in person since they are currently in remote prison.
