A Rohingya activist accused of sharing photographs on Facebook of a police crackdown on displaced Muslims was arrested in Arakan State on Tuesday, a day after a UN special rapporteur on human rights visited the area. Than Shwe was arrested at his home in the state capital Sittwe and remained in custody on Wednesday, a source close to his family told The Irrawaddy, although the UN special rapporteur, Tomás Ojea Quintana, had urged the state government to release him. Aung Win, who spoke on behalf of the family, said Than Shwe’s wife called Quintana on Tuesday and told him that her husband had been detained. “He [Quintana] told our community leaders that he has already told the government to release all people who have been detained, included Than Shwe,” said Aung Win. Than Shwe, who delivers food to IDP camps in Sittwe, allegedly shared photographs that show authorities clashing on Friday with a crowd of Muslims who had gathered at an IDP camp outside the city after the corpse of a Rohingya fisherman washed onshore nearby. irrawaddy.org/archives/42004
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:49:20 +0000