The Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM) stated on Friday that its leader Myo Myo Aye continues to face charges, after they were reportedly dropped, before being released from Yangon’s Insein Prison on Oct. 20.
“Although prison authorities announced her release under Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court later ruled that the charges could not be withdrawn as the case remains under investigation,” the STUM stated on its official social media account on Oct. 24.
Myo Myo Aye was released from Insein Prison on Oct. 20 along with labor union leaders Thet Hnin Aung and Thet Htar Swe.
“Myo Myo Aye was ordered by the Shwepyithar Township Court on October 24 to sign a bond with two guarantors along with 30 million MMK [$736 USD], requiring her to be on good behavior for the next six months,” STUM added in its statement on social media.
Nine other STUM members “continue to be detained and face trial under the same legal clauses,” the statement concluded. Ten STUM members, including Myo Myo Aye and her daughter Chu Chu Thwe, were arrested in Yangon’s Shwepyitha Township in July.
They were charged under Section 5 of the Law Concerning Recidivism on Aug. 8, carrying up to three years in prison if convicted.
They were also charged under Sections 40 and 41 of the Organization Registration Law on Sept. 15, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.
International human rights and labor organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), have called for the release of all detained STUM members.
