Amnesty has called for urgent action to be taken to secure the release of 15 factory workers and student union members who are still detained in Myanmar and face a range of criminal charges for their peaceful protest to demand better working conditions. They are prisoners of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released, according to a recent statement.
On 18 May, police in Tatkton Township, close to Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw, arrested more than 70 wood factory workers and members of the All Burma Federation of Students Union (ABFSU). They were peacefully marching against the dismissal of workers from the Myanmar Veneer Plywood Private Ltd factory, which they claim is a result of the workers’ demand for overtime pay and improved working conditions. The protesters began their peaceful march in Sagaing Region in late April and were on their way to Nay Pyi Taw to bring their concerns to the union level government when they were arrested. 
On 19 May, 20 protesters were released without charge, and a further 36 people were released on 1 June after charges against them were dropped. However, 15 peaceful protesters remain in detention charged with a range of Penal Code offences: ‘being a member of an unlawful assembly’ (Section 143), ‘joining or continuing an unlawful assembly after it has been told to disperse’ (Section 145), ‘rioting’ (Section 147), and ‘incitement’ (Section 505 (b)). They each face a total of up to six years and six months’ imprisonment.
In protest against the charges and convinced they won’t receive a fair trial, the protesters have decided to ‘boycott’ their trial by refusing to hire a lawyer and disrupting their hearings, including by singing. On 13 July, they were each found guilty of contempt of court under Section 480 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and sentenced to either one month in prison or a fine of 5,000 kyats (around 4$USD). Some of the protesters have said they will not pay the fine and will serve the prison sentence instead.
All 15 peaceful protesters are currently detained in Yamethin Prison in Mandalay Region in central Myanmar. Some of them have complained of poor hygiene and lack of medical care.