Muslim men's jailing in Myanmar 'tainted with torture'

The Fortify Rights group said there are "very worrying trends" among some nationalist movements targeting Muslim minorities [Reuters]

A dozen Muslim men from Myanmar have been convicted for their alleged links to a previously unknown armed group and sentenced to five years in prison, following a trial which human rights groups say was tainted by allegations of torture.

Fortify Rights, a watchdog group, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the 12 men from the central region of Mandalay were denied a fair trial, and that elements of anti-Muslim prejudice played a part in their case. 

The men, including a 19-year-old labourer, a 34-year-old restaurant worker and a 58-year old merchant, were all found guilty on Monday of undermining national security, after allegedly training with the so-called Myanmar Muslim Army.

"I think it's a huge injustice," Matthew Bugher, a Harvard lawyer and Fortify Rights representative in Myanmar, said of the verdict issued by a judge at the Aung Myay Thar San township court.

See more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/muslim-men-jailing-myanmar-tainted-torture-151208083306263.html