Myanmar Jails Reuters Scribes For 7 Yrs, Draws Global Condemnation

The two journalists had been reporting on Myanmar’s brutal crackdown against the Rohingya in the country.

File photo of two Reuters’ journalists, Wa Lone, center, and Kyaw Soe Oo.

(Photo: AP)

Condemning Myanmar court’s verdict sentencing two Reuters journalists to seven years in prison, the Editor’s Guild of India released its statement on Monday, 3 September, calling the sentencing a ‘big blow to democracy’.

Undersigned by Shekhar Gupta, president of The Editors Guild of India, the statement highlighted that the Guild is opposed to the use of provisions under the Official Secrets Act in any country to throttle the voice of the media as the two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were investigating the death of 10 Rohingya Muslims.

(Photo: Twitter/ IndEditorsGuild)

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has called for the immediate release of two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar, according to a Reuters report.

Sentence Undermines Media’s Freedom: EU

European Union also condemned the sentencing of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo and said that the imprisonment order by Myanmar court undermines the freedom of media and intimidates other journalists from doing their jobs.

“Today's court decision to sentence Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to 7 years of imprisonment undermines the freedom of the media, the public's right to information and the development of the rule of law in Myanmar,” the statement issued by European Union on 3 September read.

The statement further mentioned that, sentencing and imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act of 1923 for covering allegations of serious human rights violations in Rakhine State also serve to intimidate other journalists who will fear harassment and undue arrest or prosecution for merely doing their jobs.

Journalists Sentenced to Seven Years In Prison

A court in Myanmar sentenced two Reuters journalists to seven years in prison for illegal possession of official documents, on 3 September, a ruling that comes as international criticism mounts over the military's alleged human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had pleaded not guilty to violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. They contended they were framed by police.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) also condemned the sentencing of the two journalists.

We reject the ruling by the courts in Yangon and call for an immediate review of the verdict and the release of our colleagues. The criminalisation of the profession of journalism is a sure sign that democracy in Myanmar has a long way to go before the country can claim to be making the kind of progress towards a free press that we had hoped it would by now.

WAN-IFRA statement

The verdict that came on Monday, 3 September, had been postponed a week ago.

The two journalists had been reporting last year on Myanmar's brutal crackdown against the Rohingya in the country's western state of Rakhine.

Investigators working for the UN's top human rights body said last week that genocide charges should be brought against senior Myanmar military officers over the crackdown.