A group of 25 Buddhists were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for murder and other crimes that occurred during violent riots between Buddhists and Muslims.
The sentence comes after weeks of harsh sentences for Muslims who participated in the riots, despite the fact that the violence was aimed mostly at Muslims, according to the Guardian. Buddhists make up the vast majority of Myanmar’s population.
At least 40 people were killed in the riots, including students who were massacred at an Islamic boarding school, reports the BBC.
Thirty-six were reportedly killed at the Mingalar Zayone Islamic boarding school, including both students and teachers. Other torched buildings included Muslim firms and 12 of the city’s 13 mosques.
The 15-year sentences for a crime as violent murder seem light in comparison to the life sentence one Muslim received yesterday for killing one Buddhist in the riot.
The country has been plagued by violence over the past year: over 250 people have been killed and 140,000 have fled their homes. Most of those negatively impacted by the violence have been Muslim.
The violence between the two religious groups was sparked by a fight between a Muslim and a Buddhist at a gold shop and the burning to death of a Buddhist monk by four Muslim men.