Former National League for Democracy (NLD) MP Min Aung and Thant Zin Phyo, who was arrested along with the former MP, from Taungup Township, Rakhine State, were sentenced to 26 months in prison by Taungup Township court on September 17.

They were sentenced to two years with hard labour under Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law, and two months' imprisonment under Section 25 of the Disaster Management Law.

“A total of punishment is two years and two months apiece,” Theingi Maung, a lawyer representing the defendants, told Mizzima.

The lawyer said they were planning to file an appeal against the lower court’s decision to the High Court in accordance with the consents of the two defendants.

“U Min Aung has told me in the past that no matter how the Taungup court judges, an appeal should be filed against the lower court’s decision. That is why we are going to appeal to the relevant higher authorities as he said,” said lawyer Theingi Maung.

Min Aung and Thant Zin Phyo were detained in Taungup on February 9 under Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law and Section 25 of the Disaster Management Law for protesting against the military coup.

After the final verdict was handed down by the Taungup Township Court, they were transferred from the detention centre of the Light Infantry Battalion (544) in Taungup to Thandwe Prison on Friday evening (17 September).

Min Aung has also been charged under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law and is currently on trial in the Rakhine State High Court.

After the military coup, former Planning and Finance Minister Kyaw Aye Thein, former Electricity Minister Aung Kyaw Zan and Forestry and Mines Minister Kyaw Lwin and former Rakhine State Chief Minister Nyi Pu are also being detained under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law.

Among them, former Rakhine State Chief Minister Nyi Pu is being detained in a junta battalion premise in Sittwe and the other ministers are being detained in Sittwe Prison.

The Rakhine State High Court will hear their cases on September 21 and 22.

The former MP Min Aung was freed from detention by the Arakan Army (AA) only in January this year, and he was arrested by the junta in February.