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: Deceased
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.”
On July 10, 2025, prominent monk Shwe Nya War passed away due to liver disease developed during his imprisonment.
Publicly Available Information:
- Photo attributed to Htoo Tay Zar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- USCIRF Country Update: Burma November 2021
- “Burma Immediately Release Monks Detained as Part of Coup” Burma Human Rights Network
- Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP (Burma)), Tweet, February 1, 2022
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Burma
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Theravada
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 2 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: February/1/2021
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Freedom Advocacy
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Ashin Sobitha
Extra Bio Info:
Ashin Sobitha is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.
On February 1, 2021, military forces detained Sobitha, a monk known for opposing religious nationalism in Burma.
Later that month, authorities sentenced Sobitha to two years' imprisonment on unspecified charges.
Publicly Available Information:
- USCIRF Country Update: Burma November 2021
- “Burma Immediately Release Monks Detained as Part of Coup” Burma Human Rights Network
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: August//2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Texts)
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy
Abdullah Fareed
Extra Bio Info:
Abdullah Fareed is detained for alleged blasphemy.
In August 2021, authorities arrested Fareed and his brother, Asif Fareed, after they were accused of burning pieces of the Qur'an and other religious literature. Authorities charged them with "desecrating the Qur'an" (Sec. 295-B PPC).