11 Nov 2008

Burmese blogger jailed for 20 years

A prominent blogger in Burma has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after a court found him guilty of creating public alarm and possessing a banned video.

Nay Phone Latt, who was arrested following massive anti-government protests last year, is to serve his sentence in Yangon's Insein prison (pictured above), an opposition spokesman said on Tuesday.

He was sentenced on Monday along with with Saw Wai, a poet who was accused of penning a secret anti-government message in one of his works.

He was not represented by his lawyer during his trial, Aye Than, his mother, said.

"My son is a computer expert and he has not violated any criminal law ... it is very unfair," she said, adding that she was not allowed to attend the trial.

His lawyer began serving a four-month prison sentence for contempt of court last Friday.  Al Jazeera