The incredible courage of some....

A popular comedian active in Burma's democracy movement has been sentenced to 45 years in jail by a Burmese court. Zarganar (above) was found to have violated the Electronics Act, which regulates electronic communications. He is the latest in a string of opposition activists to be given long jail terms by the military government. He was detained earlier this year for criticising the government's slow response to Cyclone Nargis in interviews with foreign news groups. More than 100 activists have been sentenced over the past two weeks in a judicial crackdown across the spectrum of Burma's pro-democracy movement. Some people have been sentenced to terms as long as 65 years.

Many took part in protests against the ruling junta sparked by fuel and food price rises in August 2007.
(text:BBC. Photo: AP)
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