Myanmar court extends detention for two Reuters reporters
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 27 December 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
The detention of two Reuters reporters in Myanmar has been extended by a court, with a trial date set for January 10. They are charged with violating state secrets after acquiring sensitive documents from police.Summary
BANGKOK - A court in Myanmar extended the detention of two Reuters journalists Wednesday and set their trial for Jan. 10 on charges of violating state secrets.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested Dec. 12 for acquiring "important secret papers" from two policemen. The police officers had worked in Rakhine state, where abuses widely blamed on the military have driven more than 630,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee into neighboring Bangladesh. The charges are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
"We are just working as journalists. ... We never violate journalism ethics," Wa Lone told reporters as he and his colleague were led out of a police van into the courtroom in Mingalardon, on the outskirts of Yangon.
Their families wept as they got a chance to see them for the first time since their arrests.
"I want my husband to be free soon. And I trust him that he would never violate the law," said Wa Lone's wife, Pan Ei Mon.
U.S., U.N. and European Union officials are among others calling for their release.
Dozens of Myanmar journalists appeared at the court wearing black shirts as part of a protest against the journalists' arrests.
"We are facing the same kind of harassment under the civilian government as we did under the military government," said Thar Lun Zaung Htet, head of a local pressure group for press freedom. "It is not fair for the two journalists to be charged under the official secrets act because they were doing their job as journalists who tried to get information."
On Tuesday, authorities said they would drop charges against two reporters from Singapore and Malaysia and their local staff working for the Turkish state broadcaster TRT. They were arrested on Oct. 27 for allegedly flying a drone over the parliament building without permission.
Their lawyer said a decision will be made Thursday. - AP
Key Points
- Myanmar court extends detention of Reuters reporters
- Trial scheduled for January 10 on state secrets charges
- Journalists were arrested for obtaining secret papers
- U.S., U.N., and EU call for their release
- Local journalists protest in support of the detained reporters
Relevant Topics
Ask AI: Understand this story your way
AI EnabledDig deeper, ask anything — get instant context, background, and clarity.
Disclaimer: This feature is powered by AI and is intended to help readers explore and understand news stories more easily. While we strive for accuracy, AI-generated responses may occasionally be incomplete or reflect limitations in the underlying model. This feature does not represent the editorial views of JournalismPakistan. For our full, verified reporting, please refer to the original article.
