; a protester demonstrating against the Myitsone Dam (a controversial Chinese-backed hydropower project) was charged for peaceful demonstrations, and police used excessive force to crack down on peaceful protesters in Kayah State, with some of the demonstrators charged under vaguely worded, repressive laws. (10) On August 18, 2017, Aung Ko Htwe was arrested because he gave a media interview in which he described his experience as a child soldier, including how the military abducted and forcibly recruited him when he was 13 years old. He was charged under Section 505(b) of Burma’s Penal Code. He faces up to two-and-a-half years in jail from the date of his conviction. 3. Child soldiers It is the sense of Congress that former child soldier Aung Ko Htwe should be immediately and unconditionally released, and that no one should be jailed for freely expressing him or herself or for speaking against the use of child soldiers. 4. Peaceful assembly It is the sense of Congress that Burma must immediately drop defamation charges against the three Kachin activists, Lum Zawng, Nang Pu, and Zau Jet, who led a peaceful rally in Mytkyina, the capital of Kachin State in April 2018, and that the prosecution of Lum Zawng, Nang Pu, and Zau Jet is an attempt by the Burmese authorities to intimidate, harass, and silence community leaders and human rights defenders who speak out about military abuses and the impact on civilian populations. 5. Press freedom It is the sense of Congress that Burma must immediately and unconditionally release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and that the imprisonment of these two Reuters journalists for documenting and reporting the crimes under international law committed against the Rohingya people is a gross injustice. Congress holds that press freedom is a fundamental human right and should be upheld and protected in Burma and everywhere. 6. Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States that— (1) all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in Burma should be unconditionally and immediately