File photo
The German government's human rights commissioner on Monday called the conviction of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar for their reporting of the Rohingya crisis "a harsh setback" for freedom of the press in the southeastern Asia country.
A Myanmar judge has found Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years.
Baerbel Kofler, human rights commissioner for the German government, said she was crushed to hear the news and expressed concern that the conviction would intimidate other journalists. "The two journalists ... did nothing but support the search for truth in Rakhine (state)," she said.
The European Union called on Monday for the immediate and unconditional release of two Reuters journalists handed jail sentences in Myanmar for their reporting of the Rohingya crisis.Earlier on Monday a Myanmar judge found Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years.The EU's foreign policy service said the sentence "undermines the freedom of the media, the public's right to information and the development of the rule of law in Myanmar"."The prison sentences of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be reviewed and the two journalists be released immediately and unconditionally," it said in a statement.Bangladesh PM: Myanmar delaying Rohingya repatriationMyanmar slaps prison sentences on two Reuters journalists
European Union demands freedom for two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar
Two Myanmar journalists of the Reuters on Monday have been given seven years jail sentence for investigation into the murder of Rohingya Muslim men by the security officials in western Rakhine state.Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison during the investigation into the murder of 10 Rohingya men in Rakhine state.Judge Ye Lwin of Yangon’s Northern District Court said each journalist was handed a seven-year imprisonment as they were found guilty of obtaining and possessing the state secret documents which they possibly transferred to the insurgent groups that are fighting against the government.Wa Lone said the ruling is unfair as they just did what journalists supposed to do during investigation into the unlawful killings.“We did nothing wrong, and we have no fear. We still believe in democracy and freedom of speech,” said Wa Lone.“We will fight for justice until the end,” he said.Defense lawyer Than Zaw Aung said the ruling is unfair. “We will do everything legally.”'Myanmar jailing of Reuters journalists harsh setback for media freedom'European Union demands freedom for two Reuters journalists jailed in MyanmarCriticismThe United States embassy, after the conviction, called on Myanmar to release the journalists immediately, saying it is “a major setback” to the Government of Myanmar's stated goal of expanding democratic freedoms.“The clear flaws in this case raise serious concerns about rule of law and judicial independence in Myanmar,” it said in a statement.The ruling also drew criticism from local and international rights groups.New York-based Human Rights Watch said it marks “a new low for press freedom and further backsliding on rights” under the government led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was accused of failing to stop the military atrocities on Rohingya Muslims.“The outrageous convictions of the Reuters journalists show Myanmar courts’ willingness to muzzle those reporting on military atrocities,” said HRW’s Asia director Brad Adams.The journalists were investigating the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in a remote village in Rakhine state last September. Military had admitted soldiers were involved in the killing just days after the arrest of Reuters journalists in December.After their arrest, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were held incommunicado for two weeks, during which they were deprived of sleep and forced to kneel for hours during interrogation, according to the reporters and their lawyers.“These convictions won’t hide the horrors against the Rohingya from the world,” said Adams.“They merely reveal the precarious state of free speech in the country and the urgent need for international action to free these journalists.”Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the ruling and reiterated its call for the immediate release of the reporters.“The conviction of Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone is a terrible blow to press freedom in Myanmar,” RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said in a statement.“As the justice system clearly followed orders in this case, we call on the country’s most senior officials, starting with government leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to free these journalists, whose only crime was to do their job. After a farcical prosecution, this outrageous verdict clearly calls into question Myanmar’s transition to democracy,” he added.Video: Families, diplomats 'disappointed' after Myanmar journalists verdict
Myanmar slaps prison sentences on two Reuters journalists