AFP-Family, friends denounce jailin

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Subject: AFP-Family, friends denounce jailing of Briton in Myanmar

Family, friends denounce jailing of Briton in Myanmar
LONDON, Sept 16 (AFP) - The mother of a British activist jailed by Myanmar
authorities on Thursday denounced the sentence as unjust, as supporters
insisted it would not put off other opponents of the miltiary regime.
Rachel Goldwyn, 28, was sentenced to seven years' "rigorous imprisonment"
after chaining herself to a lamppost in downtown Yangon last week and
singing a pro-democracy song.

"We are absolutely devastated. We really didn't expect it. We expected a
suspended sentence," Goldwyn's mother Charmain said from their London home.

"It is terrible trying to ring the family up. Everybody cries when I tell
them and then I cry again.

"I don't know why they have been so severe on her. She cares passionately
for human rights and democracy and she did this one thing -- singing a song.

"That government has just crashed down on her ... What must it be like for
people who live there?"

The verdict came two weeks after another British activist, James Mawdsley,
was jailed for 17 years.

Mawdsley's father David, who lives in London, said he had been "absolutely
shocked" by Goldwyn's sentence, which was "totally out of proportion."

He added: "By doing this, they are trying to frighten off young people who
know the truth. They are not frightening James or Rachel, or the rest of the
world.

"But something has to be done about this lot. They've been terrorising 40
million people since 1962."

Myanmar's military government is accused of appalling human rights abuses by
many foreign states and is the target of a well organised, vocal campaign by
exiled dissidents and foreign activists.

Mawdsley said he had heard on Wednesday that his son was well and was not
being tortured, as earlier feared.

Stephen Jakobi, of the pressure group Fair Trials Abroad, expressed "deep
concern" at Goldwyn's sentence.

Jakobi, who knows the Goldwyn family personally, said he was worried about
certain aspects of the trial.

"How could the defence have adequately prepared a case with only 24 hours
notice? I am also concerned about the independence of the tribunal."

Goldwyn pleaded not guilty to sedition and will appeal the verdict handed
down by a court in Yangon's notorious Insein prison, lawyers said.

Reacting calmly to the verdict, she told the court she had not intended to
threaten national security, but had expected to be arrested.

Roger Bunn, a friend of Goldwyn's through the Burma Out! campaign, said:
"This is a statement to the world from the Burmese junta that they have no
humanitarian concerns at all," he said.