Additional Name(s): U Pinnyasiha, Shwe Nya War Sayadaw, ပညာသီဟ, ရွှေညဝါဆရာတော် ဦးပညာသီဟ

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Burma

Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Theravada

Health Concerns: Liver problems

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: February/1/2021

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: Yes

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Freedom Advocacy

Nature of Charges: Incitement to Commit Crime & Violence

Shwe Nya War

Extra Bio Info:

Shwe Nya War was detained in relation to his religious freedom advocacy.

On February 1, 2021, military forces detained War, a monk, following the military’s overthrow of the government. Prior to his arrest, War was known for opposing religious nationalism in Burma.

In November 2022, War was reportedly released from Yangon’s Insein Prison under amnesty. He had been reportedly charged with “intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility.” 

War reportedly suffers from liver problems.

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