A Swiss citizen has been arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for creating a movie that allegedly insulted Buddhism
FILE – A Myanmar army soldier hoists a nationwide flag throughout a ceremony to mark the 69th anniversary of Independence Day in Yangon, Myanmar on Jan. 4, 2017. A Swiss citizen was arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for writing a screenplay and creating a movie that allegedly insulted Buddhism, state media reported Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (AP Picture, File)
The Related Press
BANGKOK — A Swiss citizen was arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for creating a movie that allegedly insulted Buddhism, state media reported Saturday.
Didier Nusbaumer, 52, was arrested on Aug. 8 together with 13 Myanmar nationals, together with a 12-year-old lady, Myanma Alinn newspaper stated.
Insulting Buddhism is a punishable offense in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, the place spiritual nationalism has surged in recent times. About 90% of Myanmar individuals are Buddhist.
The information report stated that Nusbaumer wrote, filmed and edited the 75-minute film “Don’t Count on Something,” which was posted on YouTube on July 24. Quick clips from the film unfold on social media together with on TikTok and Facebook, drawing rebukes from Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar.
“Though the folks within the movie’s major roles are Buddhist, they behaved inappropriately and degraded the dignity and morals of monks by way of their bodily gestures and dialogue,” the media report stated.
The report didn’t say the place any of the suspects had been being held.
Myanmar has been dominated by its military since February 2021, when it seized energy from the democratically elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Nusbaumer isn’t the primary foreigner to be detained in Myanmar after being accused of insulting Buddhism.
In March 2015, a New Zealand citizen who was arrested with two Myanmar nationals was sentenced to 2 1/2 years imprisonment with exhausting labor for insulting Buddhism in a web based commercial that confirmed a psychedelic depiction of Buddha carrying DJ-style headphones. He was deported the next 12 months.
In October 2016, a Dutch vacationer was jailed for 3 months with exhausting labor for insulting Buddhism after he unplugged a loudspeaker utilized by Buddhist monks to broadcast a late-night sermon within the nation’s second-largest metropolis, Mandalay. He was deported after serving his jail time period.
In the identical 12 months, a Spanish vacationer was deported from Myanmar after authorities discovered a tattoo of Buddha on his leg.
