Burma has given death sentences to nine people, including the editor of a weekly sports journal, in an alleged plot to assassinate military rulers.
The Irrawaddy, a magazine published by Burmese citizens in exile, reports U Zaw Thet Htwe and eight others were found guilty on Friday. The magazine says they were accused of trying to kill government leaders and provoking an uprising.
U Zaw Thet Htwe was among five journalists arrested after a July 17th raid on the Rangoon offices of the weekly publication First Eleven. The article that led to their arrest was about a Burmese football team's failure to appear in an Asian tournament.
The other four journalists were released. The Irrawaddy reports the eight others sentenced to death were among 12 arrested around the same time in July. Burmese authorities claimed they were plotting bombings at five locations in the capital, Rangoon.