Nun providing support in Myanmar imprisoned

The sentence, handed down on June 24 by a military tribunal inside a prison, came two weeks after Sister of Charity Benedetta Nya Moe, 50, was detained and interrogated near Loikaw in Kayah (Karenni) State, according to sources familiar with the case. The nun was transferred to Loikaw Prison on the day of her sentencing, they said.

Sr Benedetta was sentenced under Section 505(a) of the nation’s penal code, which has been widely used by the junta since 2021 to target both its opponents and civilians, and carries a maximum jail term of three years.

An ethnic Kayan who marked 25 years of religious profession with the Sisters of Charity recently, Sr Benedetta has been providing healthcare and medical access to internally displaced people and residents in camps and villages across eastern Demoso and near Loikaw.

She worked alongside fellow nuns and personnel from other Catholic missions in collaboration with Loikaw Diocese, a local nun who previously worked with her in Demoso Township said, while requesting anonymity.

“From what we have learned, she crossed paths with a military column and was arrested while transporting a displaced patient to a hospital in Loikaw,” the nun told UCA News on June 25.

Two residents accompanied Sr Benedetta as they drove a female patient from Zayatphyu village near Loikaw, the junta-controlled capital of Karenni State, on June 10.

“During a search of their phones, soldiers found records of donations received on Kpay [a commonly used mobile banking app] and news related to the armed conflict on the nun’s phone, which led to their arrest,” Ben Khoo, a resident of Loikaw, told UCA News.

The three were kept at a military base in Loikaw for interrogation. The two villagers were released four days later, but the junta continued to detain and question the nun.

Catholic congregations and Church communities across Myanmar are praying for her, seeking protection, strength and a quick release.

FULL STORY

Myanmar junta jails nun for eight months under repressive law (Kyaw Lin Htoon/UCA News)