Leading Myanmar activists arrested in a crackdown by ruling generals on a rare series of protests are in the infamous Insein prison, suggesting they may indeed be tried and face 20 years in jail, a relative said on Sunday.
"When they were last arrested on September 27, the regime made the same allegations against them, but they were kept at a high security police compound till they were released in January," the relative said.
"We are wondering if the regime will really charge them this time because they were moved to Insein Central Prison" on the outskirts of Yangon, where many political prisoners have been held in what they later described as harsh conditions.
The relative said the 13 activists, arrested in midnight raids last week, were moved swiftly to Insein as official newspapers accused them of "harming the stability of the state" after they led a protest against huge fuel price rises.
The newspapers, in unusually quick reporting of dissident arrests, said they would be charged under an internal security law that carries jail terms of up to 20 years.
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