Photo: Nawnghkio Mosque sealed (left); the court order, issued on 15 September, sentenced the two mosque trustees to 11 years’ imprisonment each and ordered the mosque’s confiscation. (right)
(LONDON, 7 November 2026) - A Myanmar junta court has sentenced two Muslim mosque trustees to 11 years in prison and ordered the confiscation of Naung Cho Myoma Mosque in northern Shan State, Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) said today. BHRN urges international actors to press for the men’s release and the return of the mosque. A Myanmar judge participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) said the prosecution failed to present evidence establishing that the trustees had supported terrorism.
“The Myanmar junta is using sweeping counterterrorism laws to prosecute Muslim civilians without credible evidence and deny them their fundamental right to a fair trial,” said Kyaw Win, Executive Director of BHRN. “The conviction of these two men demonstrates how the military continues to abuse the justice system to target religious minorities. Both men should be immediately released, their convictions overturned, and those responsible for these abuses held accountable.”
The Kyaukme District Court ordered the confiscation of Naung Cho Myoma Mosque on 15 September 2026 under Section 56 of Myanmar’s Counter Terrorism Law. The junta court sentenced U Hla Htwe and U Soe Thein to 11 years under Section 50(j) and three years under Section 52(a). The concurrent sentences leave each man facing 11 years in prison.
U Hla Htwe and U Soe Thein are civilians from Naung Cho’s Railway Station Ward who, according to information provided to BHRN, had no affiliation with armed groups. Deputy Police Superintendent Myo Nyunt Aung accused them of helping the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The junta alleged that the trustees and mosque supplied food and money to TNLA and People’s Defence Force (PDF) personnel during fighting on 25 June 2024.
Junta police and General Administration Department personnel inspected the mosque on 17 July 2025 and reportedly found nothing suspicious. They returned on 31 July 2025 and sealed it.
The CDM judge, who provided a legal assessment of the proceedings, said, “All seven civilian witnesses testified in support of the two defendants’ innocence.” The judge also said, “There was zero evidence to prove such an allegation.” The judge questioned the junta court’s compliance with procedures protecting third parties whose property is subject to confiscation.
A local religious leader said the confiscated mosque did not belong to the defendants. “A mosque, by contrast, is communal property. It does not belong to the trustees themselves.” Successive generations of trustees have maintained the mosque on behalf of the Muslim community.
A local Muslim woman said residents repeatedly sought permission to reopen the mosque. She alleged that junta personnel interfered in the appointment of trustees and demanded payments and repeated applications. “The township authorities repeatedly demanded money, extorted payments, and required us to submit document after document.”
The junta has confiscated Naung Cho Myoma Mosque over allegations against two trustees, depriving the wider Muslim community of its place of worship. BHRN calls on the international community to take urgent action to secure the release of the two trustees and the return of the mosque to the Muslim community. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar should investigate the case, including the denial of fair trial rights, the confiscation of religious property, and allegations of extortion by junta personnel. BHRN also urges UN Member States to take concrete steps to hold the junta accountable for its persecution of religious minorities and its systematic abuse of the justice system.
Myanmar Junta Imprisons Muslim Mosque Trustees, Confiscates Community Mosque
