SAN FRANCISCO, September 03, (THEWILL) – A Myanmar judge on Monday found two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years, in a landmark case seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country.
Amnesty International has described as “appalling” the court’s verdict while Britain has called for the immediate release of the journalists saying that the verdict undermined press freedom in Myanmar.
Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin said Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected and obtained confidential documents.
“The defendants have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years,” the judge said, adding that the time served since they were detained on Dec. 12 would be taken into account.
The two reporters had pleaded not guilty and told the court police planted documents on them in the course of their work in reporting on Myanmar’s violence-plagued Rakhine State.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby, said he was disappointed.
“The UN has consistently called for the release of the Reuters journalists and urged the authorities to respect their right to pursue freedom of expression and information.”
Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s director of Crisis Response, said the court’s decision was politically motivated and designed to send a stark warning to other journalists in the country if they investigated military abuses.
She called for the convictions to be quashed and for Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to be released unconditionally and immediately.
“Today’s appalling verdict has condemned two innocent men to years behind bars.
“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo face lengthy jail terms simply because they dared to ask uncomfortable questions about military atrocities in Rakhine State.
“These convictions must be quashed, and both men immediately and unconditionally released,” she said in a press statement.
“This politically motivated decision has significant ramifications for press freedom in Myanmar.
“It sends a stark warning to other journalists in the country of the severe consequences that await should they look too closely at military abuses. This amounts to censorship through fear.
“Today’s verdict cannot conceal the truth of what happened in Rakhine State.
“It’s thanks to the bravery of journalists like Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo that the military’s atrocities have been exposed.
“Instead of targeting these two journalists, the Myanmar authorities should have been going after those responsible for killings, rape, torture and the torching of hundreds of Rohingya villages,” the statement added.
Theresa May UK Prime Minister also added: “As our Ambassador to Burma, who attended the hearing, has said, we are extremely disappointed with this verdict and sentencing.
“And we call for the journalists to be released immediately. In any democracy, journalists must be free to carry out their jobs without fear or intimidation. This verdict has undermined freedom of the media in Myanmar.”
