Human rights organization Fortify Rights has called for the unconditional release of human rights defender Khaing Myo Htun by the Myanmar government, after the activist was denied bail for the second time on Monday.  

"The military is using the courts to target and silence another human rights defender. Khaing Myo Htun must be released immediately," Fortify Rights chief executive officer Matthew Smith said in a statement on Tuesday.

Arrested in July, Khaing Myo Htun was accused by the Myanmar army Lieutenant-Coloner Tin Naing of sedition and incitement for publishing a statement on behalf of the Arakan Libertation Party (ALP). He faces up to two year in prison, fines or both, for allegedly documenting military human rights abuses against Rakhine civilians, the statement said.

Khaing Myo Htun was the deputy information officer for the ALP, a political wing of the Arakan Liberation Army, which signed a cease-fire agreement with Myanmar authorities in 2012. Conflict between the Myanmar army and the Arakan army - another ethnic Rakhine armed group - broke out in April 2015. 

Overshadowed by ongoing human rights issues against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, the statement further notes that over 1,100 civilians have been displaced by the conflict, mostly Buddhists in Buthidaung, Rathedaung and Kyauktaw townships.

Indonesia has in the past been open about its attention to the violence in Rakhine state, urging for the upholding of human rights for all people in Rakhine, as well as noting the importance of allowing access to humanitarian aid.