Press Freedom
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Reporter Without Borders
Overseas Press Club of America Denounces Jailing of Two Reuters Journalists in Myanmar
NEW YORK Sept. 4, 2018—The Overseas Press Club of America denounces a court ruling in Myanmar that found two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years.
The verdict “is a major step backward in the nation’s transition to democracy,” said Stephen J. Adler, editor in chief of Reuters.
According to Reuters, Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin said Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected and obtained confidential documents.
The two reporters, who were investigating the killing by the security forces of Rohingya villagers at the time of their arrest, had pleaded not guilty.
The Overseas Press Club is an international association of journalists based in New York City that works to encourage the highest standards in journalism, to educate the next generation of foreign correspondents and to promote international press freedom and the well-being of colleagues in the field.