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Alert

Cartoonist sentenced to one month in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF and the Cartoonists Rights Network (CRN) have condemned a month-long prison sentence handed down by a Rangoon court to cartoonist Chit Swe. The two organisations called on cartoonists around the world to show solidarity with Chit Swe by reproducing some of his drawings, available online at http://www.rsf.org and http://www.cartoon-crn.com.

Chit Swe, 65, an activist for the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, was also given a six-month suspended sentence by the same court.

Chit Swe's work regularly appears in economic publications such as "Myanma Dhana". He also runs the NLD's branch in Thanlyin, near Rangoon, where he was arrested on 12 July during a meeting at his house.

Chit Swe was found guilty of "defying authorities' orders" during a summary trial on 3 August. The charge was brought under an old emergency law often used to crack down on the opposition.

The cartoonist denies the charge. His lawyer, Nyan Win, said Chit Swe had not broken the law, since the meeting was merely a discussion between colleagues, and ridiculed the accusations made by Thanlyin Mayor Tin Htay.

The cartoonist, who is being held at Rangoon's Insein prison, has heart problems and chronic bronchitis.