YANGON, Myanmar – A court has sentenced a Muslim man to seven years in prison for an attempted rape that sparked Buddhist-led riots in a northwestern Myanmar town late last month.
Myint Aung, a legal official at the Kantbalu township court, says Hsan Min Oo was found guilty and sentenced Wednesday after a speedy trial.
Myint Aung says the defendant confessed to the crime and did not ask for a defense lawyer.
The Aug. 24 violence started after a crowd surrounded a police station in Htan Gone village, demanding that Hsan Min Oo be handed over.
When officers refused, the crowd rampaged, destroying 40 Muslim-owned shops and businesses and leaving hundreds of people homeless.
Eleven Buddhists also were detained, but opposition lawmaker Myint Naing said one allegedly died in prison from diarrhea.
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