A Myanmar military officer has filed a defamation lawsuit against the prominent movie director and human rights advocate Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi after he criticised the army's role in politics in a series of Facebook posts.
Lieutenant colonel Lin Htun of Yangon Region Command filed a case under section 66d of the Telecommunications Law on March 29, according to a senior officer at Insein police station.
Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi is the founder of the Human Dignity Film Institute, which produces documentaries on human rights issues and hosts an annual film festival in Yangon.
He was present at the station today for questioning after being summoned on Monday. If charged and convicted he faces up to two years in prison.
He told Myanmar Now ahead of his appearance at the station that he had asked the station head why a suit had been filed against him but did not receive an answer.
Police said today that the lawsuit related to his Facebook posts from between late February and mid-March, thought they did not elaborate.
In his posts from that period, he denounced the fact that the military is given a quarter of all seats in parliament and described former dictator Than Shwe as a “thief”.
“I will continue to strongly denounce things that should be criticised for the betterment of the country,” he told Myanmar Now. “I will face this lawsuit bravely and righteously according to the law.”
