Summary:
A court in Myanmar has sentenced three people to life in prison for allegedly insulting religion.

Full article:
A New Zealand bar manager and two Myanmar men pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of insulting religion, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. Philip Blackwood, general manager of the V Gastro Bar in Myanmar's biggest city Yangon, was arrested last week for advertising the bar with a poster featuring a pink Buddha wearing headphones . The advertisement was removed and an apology posted, but Blackwood and his two colleagues, were arrested. New Zealand man Philip Blackwood has been accused by Myanmar of insulting religion . About 90 percent of Myanmar's population are Buddhist and perceived insults to the religion are taken seriously. About 15 Buddhist monks, mostly from a nationalist organization, and more than 20 lay disciples were at the court as police brought in the three handcuffed defendants. Nearly 30 policemen were in attendance, thought to be due to the sensitive nature of the case. A Buddhist monk takes photos of New Zealand citizen Philip Blackwood . Monks in Myanmar taking photos of Richard Blackwood. Perceived insults to religion are taken seriously in the mostly Buddist country . Four prosecution witnesses testified at the first session of the trial on Thursday, with defense witnesses due to take the stand on Dec. 26. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.