Yangon, Aug 29 (IANS): A Myanmar filmmaker was sentenced to one year in prison on Thursday for criticizing the country's military on Facebook, sparking criticism from human rights defenders.

Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, suffering from liver cancer, was detained in April for criticizing the military's role in politics and the Myanmar Constitution in his Facebook post.

After nearly five months of pretrial detention, he was sentenced to a year in prison by the Insein Township Court in Yangon on grounds of breaking a colonial-era law that bans statements potentially causing a soldier to mutiny.

However, defence lawyer Robert San Aung told Efe news that he would discuss the matter with Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi's family about the possibility of appealing the verdict.

Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, after coming out of the court, told the media that people should not worry as "he would soon be released".

He said everyone should march together with their leaders for reforms to the Constitution adopted in 2008 when the country was under military rule.

Myanmar has seen little progress in spheres of freedom of expression since the party led by the country's de facto leader Suu Kyi, who led the pro-democratic movement since the late 1980s, came to power.