Myanmar court jails Reuters reporters over breach of "Secrets Act"
  • 6 years ago
A court in Myanmar has sentenced two Reuters journalists to seven years in prison, accusing them of breaching a law on state secrets.
For more on this and other news around the world let's turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… what kind of reaction has this sparked around the world?

Well Mark… as you'd expect the reactions, in general, have not been positive….
There has been a global outcry over the court's rulings, with many condemning the decision as a travesty of justice and severe blow to press freedom in Myanmar.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were investigating violence against Rohingya Muslims in the country, which Myanmar's military has been accused of being responsible for.
The incident has been a thorn in the side of Myanmar de-facto leader and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Syi, who has been widely criticized for not speaking up about the issue.
The court on Monday found the journalists guilty of violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected confidential documents.
The pair have maintained their innocence, saying police officers handed them the papers at a restaurant in the city of Yangon moments before other officers arrested them.
A police witness is said to have testified in court that the restaurant meeting was set up to stop the journalists from reporting on the Rohingya crisis.
The UN, the EU, the U.S., along with a host of other countries, have called for the journalists to be acquitted.
The two have been in jail since their arrest last December.
Recommended