A Canadian evangelical pastor who preached that True Believers were immune to COVID-19 and then contracted the virus himself has been sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour after a court in Myanmar found him guility of violating a law intended to combat the spread of the virus.
Toronto-based David Lah, who has been in Myanmar since at least February, was charged in May with flouting a ban on large gatherings by holding a religious meeting in Yangon in April 7 after Myanmar imposed a ban on mass gatherings in mid-March.
On Thursday, he was convicted of breaking administrative rules and sentenced.
Because the judge credited Lah with time served since he was jailed in May, he may be released quickly.
In this screengrab from a video on the Child of God YouTube channel, Lah, left, is seen leading an online sermon on March 30, more than two weeks after the government imposed restrictions on gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Lah later tested positive for COVID-19, as did Myanmar rock star Myo Gyi, pictured next to Lah. (Child of God/YouTube)
A Myanmar colleague of Lah, Wai Tun, received the same sentence.
“If people hold the Bible and Jesus in their hearts, the disease will not come in,” he proclaimed in one video to a roomful of faithful. “The only person who can cure and give peace in this pandemic is Jesus.”
His David Lah Ministries Facebook page says the Myanmar-born pastor is currently “touring around the globe to preach the gospel.”
He is the face of numerous online Christian video sites, often live streaming events and posting video of his religious services in his native Burmese language.
Canadian pastor David Lah was charged with flouting a ban on large gatherings by holding a religious meeting in Yangon on April 7. Above, Lah is escorted by police as he leaves a township court after his first court appearance on May 20 in Yangon. (Thein Zaw/The Associated Press)
According to local news reports at least 22 coronavirus cases were linked to the religious event that Lah hosted on April 7, including Lah himself and famous Myanmar Christian rock singer Myo Gyi.
That led to a cluster of 67 cases, according to Myanmar’s Health Ministry.
Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist though it has small Christian communities.
With files from CBC News (Stephanie Jenzer, Thomson Reuters), The Associated Press, Reuters
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