A court has sentenced a Muslim man to seven years in prison for attempted rape that resulted in Buddhist-led riots in a northwestern Myanmar town late last month.
Myint Aung, a legal official at the Kantbalu township court, said Hsan Min Oo was found guilty and handed down the sentence after a speedy trial on Wednesday.
Myint Aung said the defendant confessed to the crime and did not ask for a defense lawyer. The August 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 enraged crowd went on a rampage and destroyed 40 Muslim-owned shops and businesses, leaving hundreds of people homeless.
11 Buddhists were detained, however, the opposition lawmaker Myint Naing said one allegedly died in prison from diarrhea.
