Naypyidaw (September 03, 2018): A Myanmar court has sentenced two journalists of international news agency to seven years in prison for breaking the Official Secrets Act while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.
According to international communication sources, two journalists have been sentenced to seven years in prison for violating a state secrets act.
Both journalists had been collecting evidence about the murders of 10 Rohingya men by the army, and were arrested while carrying official documents which had just been given to them by police officers.
Sentenced journalist said, ‘I have no fear, I have not done anything wrong. I believe in justice, democracy and freedom’.
The Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay did not responded to request for comment about the verdict.
On the other hand, editor in-chief of international news agency said that today is a sad day for Myanmar, journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the press everywhere.
A senior United Nations official condemned the ruling and said that the United Nations 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.
Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are Myanmar citizens who were working for the international news agency. They had been collecting evidence about the murders of 10 Rohingya men by the army in the village of Inn Din in northern Rakhine in September 2017.
They were arrested before the report’s publication, after being handed some documents by two policemen who they met at the restaurant for the first time.
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