September 5, 2013
YANGON, Myanmar — A
court has sentenced a Muslim man to seven years in prison for an attempted rape
that sparked Buddhist-led riots in a northwestern Myanmar town late last month.
Myint Aung, a legal
official at the Kantbalu township court, says Hsan Min Oo was found guilty and
sentenced Wednesday after a speedy trial.
Myint Aung says the
defendant confessed to the crime and did not ask for a defense lawyer.
The Aug. 24
violence started after a crowd surrounded a police station in Htan Gone
village, demanding that Hsan Min Oo be handed over.
When officers
refused, the crowd rampaged, destroying 40 Muslim-owned shops and businesses
and leaving hundreds of people homeless.
Eleven Buddhists
also were detained, but opposition lawmaker Myint Naing said one allegedly died
in prison from diarrhea.
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