[JURIST] A special court in Myanmar [JURIST news archive] Friday charged US citizen Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung [Freedom Now backgrounder], with forgery and violating the country's foreign currency act [AP report]. The charges could result in a maximum of ten years in prison if Aung is convicted. Aung was arrested on September 3 when he entered the country, and was initially accused of inciting anti-government unrest. He protested his arrest and treatment while in detention with a 12-day hunger strike in mid-December. Freedom Now [advocacy website], which represents Aung, claimed [press release] that the government had committed a variety of human rights violations:

During his first two weeks of his detention, Burmese authorities tortured Mr. Aung. He was deprived of food and sleep, beaten, and denied medical treatment. Mr. Aung was also illegally deprived of his right to U.S. consular access. He is also being denied his rights under Burmese law to a public trial and regular access to counsel.