Salai Ayla Lone Wai

Additional Name(s): ဆလိုင်းဧလလုံးဝေ

Gender: Male

Current Location: Pyay Prison, Bago region

Perpetrator: Burma

Ethnic Group: Chin

Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant

Sentence: 10 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: December/28/2021

Date of Sentencing: October/21/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: Yes

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role

Nature of Charges: Defamation Terrorism

Salai Ayla Lone Wai

Extra Bio Info:

Salai Ayla Lone Wai is imprisoned for his religious leadership role and targeted for his ethnoreligious background.

On December 28, 2021, Burmese military authorities arrested Salai Ayla Lone Wai, an ethnic Chin pastor from Okpho Township, Bago region, after he returned from a Christmas prayer service at a church in Pauk Khaung Township. Authorities accused him of being linked to the People's Defense Force (PDF)—an armed resistance group against the military rule—after searching him at a check point.

Reportedly, Salai Ayla Lone Wai was interrogated at the 959th Battalion base in Pyay, and his family and relatives were not able to contact him.

On October 21, 2022, he was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment under Penal Code Section 505(a) and terrorism charges.

His arrest took place after several Christian leaders from the Magway Region and Chin State were reportedly killed by the military.