缅甸法院以侮辱宗教罪判处三人劳役监禁

A court in Myanmar sentenced a bar manager and two colleagues to two and a half years in prison Tuesday for using an image of Buddha in a flyer that a judge said insulted Buddhism.

The flyer promoting discounted drinks and electronic music at VGastro Bar appeared on the Facebook in December showing Buddha in vibrant colors wearing large headphones. It was later replaced by an apology.

The court in Yangon sentenced Philip Blackwood of New Zealand and Tun Thurien and Htut Ko Ko Lwin of Myanmar to two years of hard labor for insulting religion and another six months for disobeying an order from a public servant.

The case comes as Myanmar is seeing a surge in Buddhist nationalism.