Mr. Samson was arrested in December at Mandalay Worldwide Airport as he ready to fly to Bangkok for a medical checkup. He’s being held at Myitkyina Jail in Kachin State, the place he has not been allowed to obtain guests, in response to his legal professional and relations.
His trial was held in a courtroom contained in the jail. Solely his legal professional and witnesses had been allowed to be current. He has seen his spouse, Zung Nyaw, simply as soon as since his arrest, when his legal professional known as her as a witness, she stated.
In an interview with The New York Occasions, Ms. Zung Nyaw stated her husband was subjected to harsh interrogation that lasted for twenty-four days after his arrest. She described him as a person who’s extra within the widespread good than his personal affairs.
“He’s a person who is aware of God and loves God,” she stated. “He’s a preacher, so he has no enemies. He’s an individual who sacrifices himself and helps others.”
Christians make up about 6 p.c of the inhabitants of Myanmar, which is predominantly Buddhist.
Mr. Samson’s legal professional, Dau Nan, stated two of the costs come up from a visit he took in January 2022 from his residence in Myitkyina, Myanmar, to the distant mountain city of Laiza. The city is underneath the management of the Kachin Independence Group, an ethnic political group that has sought autonomy in Myanmar for many years.
The group’s army arm, the Kachin Independence Military, has lengthy battled Myanmar’s army forces and controls greater than half of Kachin State, which is predominantly Baptist.
Ms. Zung Nyaw stated her husband had traveled to Laiza with the army’s permission. He met there with the longtime ethnic Kachin chief Duwa Lashi La, who’s the performing head of the Nationwide Unity Authorities, a political group established by ethnic teams and ousted elected leaders after the coup that claims to be Myanmar’s true authorities.
