Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota, who was released in early November by the Burmese junta that has ruled the country since the coup d’état that took place in January 2021, has demanded that the Japanese government take action against the Burmese Army to put an end to the violation of human rights in the Asian country.
The 26-year-old stressed that the Japanese authorities «should be more proactive» in condemning the violation of human rights in Burma and stressed that «Japan has a strong presence in Burma, including economic».
«I hope that in the future there will be an in-depth analysis of how the money given to Burma is invested and how it is used to harm the population,» said Kubota, who was arrested in the city of Rangoon on July 30 for filming a small demonstration against the Burmese military junta.
In this sense, he stressed that both the government and the population «have a responsibility» in this regard, according to the newspaper ‘The Japan Times’. He also warned that the conditions of detention in the country are «hell on earth» and pointed out that the situation is becoming «desperate» for a large part of the population.
Kubota was released along with some 5,800 prisoners as part of an amnesty agreement reached earlier this month, but he recalled that «this does not change the fact that there are another 12,000 people who remain imprisoned».
In October, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for sedition after being arrested at gunpoint and following a trial he has called fraudulent. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison for violating the conditions of his entry visa.
