Former lunch vendor sentenced to 10 additional years in prison after junta re-arrests him during amnesty release

Mizzima

A Mayangone District Court has sentenced 54-year-old former Yangon lunch vendor U Kyi to an additional 10 years in prison under Section 50(j) of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The sentence was handed down on 25 June, just as he was supposed to be released from custody under a prior amnesty agreement.

Ma Yu Mi San, an official from the Justice Network For Political Prisoners, confirmed that U Kyi’s family was waiting outside the police station to welcome him home when authorities instead re-arrested him. This new 10-year term is added to his previous three-year sentence under Section 505(a), bringing his total prison time to 13 years.

Though U Kyi was technically released on 4 March as part of the military junta’s 4 January amnesty, he was immediately re-arrested at the police station while signing his release paperwork.

Authorities detained him for three days of interrogation, justifying the arrest by pointing to large transaction volumes in his KBZ-Pay mobile wallet account. He was subsequently transferred to the Hlaing Township Police Station and charged with both the Anti-Terrorism Law violations and incitement to disturb state tranquility.

According to close acquaintances, U Kyi’s initial arrest was triggered by a social media post in which he expressed frustration with international inaction, writing, “I am absolutely dissatisfied with America. They entered that country and arrested the country’s leader. But they don’t arrest the person who should have been arrested a long time ago.” Following the post, pro-military junta supporters actively campaigned online for his arrest, leading to his detention.

Yu Mi San sharply criticized the military’s actions, pointing out that U Kyi suffers from chronic health conditions including rheumatism, constricted heart valves, fatty heart disease, and kidney disease which require continuous medication. She raised serious concerns about the junta’s complete disregard for the rule of law, noting that they fail to comply even with their own legal regulations.

Meanwhile, U Kyi’s family is deeply worried about his survival due to inadequate medical supplies in prison and his frequent transfers to the prison hospital. On top of the health crisis, the family is facing severe financial hardship, making the cost of regular prison visits nearly impossible to manage.

U Kyi was first arrested in December 2021 under Section 505(a) for his involvement in anti-dictatorship movements after the military coup and was released in 2023. After his release, he resumed selling packed lunches and provided aid to political prisoners. He was then re-arrested in January 2026 for social media posts, even after having been released from prison, before finally being sentenced to this additional length of time.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a total of 31,244 individuals have been arrested by the military junta since the 2021 coup as of 25 June 2026. Among those documented, 14,364 people are confirmed to remain in detention, while an additional 7,883 cases are still undergoing verification.