Reuters journalists jailed for seven years for violating Myanmar Official Secrets Act; activists condemn sentencing
The arrest of Myanmar Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo has sparked an outcry among the international community as an attempt to muzzle reporting on last year’s crackdown by Myanmar’s security forces on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state.
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A Myanmar court sentenced two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, to seven years in jail on Monday for violating the country’s Official Secrets Act. Reuters
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Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were investigating the killing of villagers from the Rohingya Muslim minority by security forces and civilians when they were arrested in December 2017. They had pleaded not guilty. Reuters
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The reporters said they were arrested after being invited to dinner by police in Yangon who handed them documents. As they left the restaurant, the pair was detained for possessing classified material. Reuters
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Wa Lone gave a defiant thumbs up and after the verdict, said that he has not done anything wrong. He added that he believes in justice, democracy and freedom. Reuters
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The arrests have sparked protests and solidarity marches in Yangon, with civil society groups, activists, and journalists across Myanmar denouncing the conviction as unfair and an assault on the right to freedom of information. Reuters
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The conviction has also drawn condemnation from the United Nations and many Western governments, including the United States, Britain, and France. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called the trial a “travesty of justice”. Reuters
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