Didier Nusbaumer, 52, was arrested on Aug. 8 along with 13 of the country’s citizens, including a 12-year-old girl, the Myanma Alinn daily reported.
Insulting Buddhism is a crime in Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country where religious nationalism has been on the rise for several years. About 90% of the population is Buddhist.
According to the newspaper, Nusbaumer is the author of the script, the director and editor of the 75-minute film “Don’t Expect Anything” (do not expect anything), published on YouTube on July 24. Brief clips from the film that appeared on TikTok, Facebook and other social networks drew criticism from nationalists in Myanmar.
“Although the people in the film’s leading roles are Buddhists, their conduct is inappropriate and degrades the dignity and morals of the monks through their physical gestures and dialogue,” the report said.
The note does not reveal where the detainees are.
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since February 2021, when it overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
