11/21/2008 01:14:17 PM EST
For Andrew K
posted by MedfordTim
Our friend here at TYT, Andrew Koenig (visit
Monkey Go Lucky!), is very involved in trying to seek justice for the people of Burma (or whatever they're calling the country this week). We tend to forget that there are places in the world other than the U.S. who have brutal dictators keeping political prisoners in jail for outrageous lengths of time.
With his choice of professions, I'm sure he will feel the same horror I did when I read the following:
Burma comic jailed for 45 years No. There is no joke, and that is not a punchline.
Zarganar, a popular comedian active in Burma's democracy movement has been sentenced to 45 years in jail by a Burmese court. He is the latest in a string of opposition activists to be given long jail terms by the military government.
He was detained earlier this year for criticising the government's slow response to Cyclone Nargis in interviews with foreign news groups.
More than 100 activists have been sentenced over the past two weeks in a judicial crackdown across the spectrum of Burma's pro-democracy movement. Some people have been sentenced to terms as long as 65 years.
[...]
An outspoken satirist of the military government, Zarganar had already been arrested and jailed four times before he was taken from his home again by the authorities in June.
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This could be George Bush's legacy - "Well, at least he didn't have comedians arrested. Except Tommy Chong..."
There are links to other stories on outrages in Burma at the story link above.
