Myanmar Court Finds Trio Guilty of Insulting Religion

Three men were arrested in December and just recently found guilty for insulting Buddhism in Myanmar. The men are two Burmese and a New Zealander who work at a bar in Yangon and promoted a poster that advertised cheap drinks night with Buddha surrounded by psychedelic colors and headphones. Philip Blackwood was said to be the actual one who posted this advertisement on Facebook and the other two colleagues had nothing to do with it. Blackwood had apologized numerous times but was still sentences along with the other men, two and a half years in prison which is the maximum sentence. Since Burmese law make it illegal to insult or damage any religion, it will be difficult for these mean to appeal and win the case. Although free speech is in Myanmar, Buddhist nationalism is on the rise which targets the minority of the population who are not following Buddhism. Ninety percent of the population are Buddhist while others such as Muslims within Myanmar are constantly being target which make living standards difficult for minorities. Blackwood will be appealing but it will be interesting how successful it will actually be. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31918269