Popular Myanmar rapper Byu Har who criticised the junta over massive power blackouts may be charged under Section 505 (a), according to a family member who talked to Mizzima.
The junta says he was arrested for "spreading propaganda", the latest arrest in a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
On 28 May, he was allowed to see his wife and on 29 May at 10 am, he faced trial under Section 505 (a) of the penal code in North Dagon Township Court, said the singer’s family member.
“He stood trial at the North Dagon Township Court at 10 am. He got to meet with his wife at court. We have been informed that he would be charged under Section 505 (a),” said the same family member told Mizzima.
Section 505 (a) prohibits causing fear, spreading false news and agitating crimes against a government employee, all punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment. The junta is now using Section 505 (a) essentially as its default for bringing criminal charges against a wide range of persons deemed to pose a challenge to their authority.
It is reported that Byu Har was transferred from the interrogation centre to North Dagon Police Station in Yangon Region.
Byu Har posted a Facebook video to his hundreds of thousands of followers on Tuesday last week slamming the junta for rolling power outages that have hit Myanmar in recent weeks.
He mocked junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and said power supply had been better managed during the government of deposed civilian leader and democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.
Byu Har was arrested for "inciting with the aim of disrupting the peace and stability of the nation, and the act of spreading propaganda", the military's information team said in a statement on Sunday.
Byu Har is the son of prominent composer Naing Myanmar, whose song "Kabar Ma Kyay Buu" has been widely sung at protests against the military's February 2021 coup.
Byu Har regularly posts videos bare-chested and strumming a guitar.
Power outages are common in Myanmar due to a creaky and outdated electricity grid, with demand regularly outstripping supply during the sweltering summer months.
The junta has blamed the worsening outages on rising gas prices and attacks on infrastructure by anti-coup fighters.
The blackouts have aggravated the economic misery sparked by the military's coup.
The junta has arrested tens of thousands in its crackdown on dissent since seizing power, according to a local monitoring group, including dozens of artists and celebrities.
Two prominent models were arrested last year for "harming culture and dignity" after they posted clips to the intimate video-hosting platform OnlyFans.
Aung San Suu Kyi was jailed by the junta for 33 years in December after a closed-door trial slammed by rights groups as a sham.
AFP/Mizzima
