Muslim men shout following their trial at a township court at Meiktila, central Myanmar, May 21, 2013.
A Myanmar court has handed down jail terms to at least seven Muslims in connection with recent violent clashes in the Southeast Asian country, judicial sources say.
Myanmar judicial officials say the defendants were convicted of murdering a Buddhist monk in the central town of Meiktila. The sentences range from two to 28 years.
The defendants say the Myanmarâ„¢s justice system and authorities have treated them unfairly.
“It’s not fair!” Shouted one of the convicted men from inside a prison van as they were being driven away after the trial.
So far, no Buddhists have been convicted in relation to the violence that started in late March and which left dozens of Muslims dead and thousands homeless.
International and rights groups accuse Myanmarâ„¢s Buddhists of systematic attacks on Muslims, particularly the Rohingyas.
The international organizations also accuse the government of failing to protect the Muslim minority. Large numbers of Muslims have been killed, and tens of thousands displaced as a result of the violence in recent years.
Rohingya Muslims have faced torture, neglect, and repression in Myanmar for many years.
Thousands of Rohingyas in the Western state of Rakhine are deprived of citizenship rights, becoming vulnerable to acts of violence, expulsion, and displacement.
JR/PR/SS
This article originally appeared on : Press TV