A Burmese court has sentenced 14 prominent dissidents to 65 years imprisonment each for leading peaceful protests against a fuel price rise which spiralled into widespread Buddhist monk-led demonstrations that were crushed by the military junta last year.

The sentencing to de facto life imprisonment of the second-tier of leaders of the 88 Generation students was described by one diplomat as “political revenge” against activists who helped shine a global spotlight on the political repression and economic stagnation in military-ruled Burma.

“This is not a criminal justice system,” said a Bangkok-based western diplomat, who monitors developments in Burma. “It smacks very much of political revenge.”

The 88 Generation students, who were at university during the 1988 student-led pro-democracy demonstrations and have already spent several years in prison, led small marches last August against a shock overnight rise in fuel prices.

While most of the activists were arrested in late August, and several others went into hiding, Buddhist monks in September led tens of thousands of anti-government protesters calling for an end to decades of military rule.

The protests were eventually crushed, with at least 31 protesters killed and thousands arrested, but the military junta came under heavy international pressure, including from key patrons such as China, to make progress on promised political reforms.

The sentencing of the activists – and, separately, a prominent blogger to 20 years in prison – comes as Burma’s junta is gearing up for 2010 elections, which they insist will usher in an era of so-called “disciplined democracy”.

The military is expected to release the “electoral law” soon, with guidelines for the polls. The United Nations and European Union have been calling for a release of all political prisoners to pave the way for their potential participation in the election and boost the credibility of the process.

However, diplomats and Burmese exiles say the exceedingly harsh sentences of the activists belie the military’s claims of a gradual political opening.

“The timing is outrageous,” said the western diplomat. “You can’t have credible elections which usher in a new political era if all the leading people from the previous era are incarcerated.

“This is part of setting the psychological ground rules for the election to come. It is sending a signal that these people are politically unacceptable, and if others think they can campaign on the basis of these kind of approaches, they will be dealt with similarly.”

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