Several dozen people rallied in central
Yangon on Sunday against the jailing of two Reuters journalists,
lamenting the shrinking space for free expression in Myanmar despite the
advent of
Wa
Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were sentenced two weeks ago to seven
years behind bars under the Official Secrets Act. The judgement sent
shockwaves through the country's nascent community of journalists
because it echoed life under the former junta, when the press was
heavily censored and reporters routinely jailed.
The
ruling also sparked a global outcry against Myanmar's army and against
de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for
the pair. "We are very angry. We are disappointed in the new government.
Shame on them," activist Maung Saung Kha, 25, told AFP. "We condemn the
sentence... they should be released."
Protesters
released black balloons emblazoned with photos of the two jailed
reporters. "The image of the country has been hurt by the court
decision," protester Thin Zar Shun Lei Yi added. While journalists have
rallied to the reporters' cause -- some using the hashtag #arrestmetoo
-- the general public has been apathetic in its response to the verdict.
The
reporters were arrested in December while investigating the
extra-judicial killing by security forces of 10 Rohingya men during last
year's military crackdown against the stateless Muslim minority. The
incident was later acknowledged by the army. The UN says a campaign of
widespread murder, rape and arson forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to
flee over the border into Bangladesh.
UN
investigators say the violence merits the prosecution of top generals
for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Its rights arm is
due to release the full findings of its investigation into the crackdown
in coming days. The reporters will appeal against the verdict but the
process will likely take many months, if not years. A presidential
pardon is also a possibility. Former Assistant Secretary General of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Abdul Sattar Qamar also condemned the conviction of two journalists Wa
Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, in Myanmar.Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi says “They were not jailed because they were journalists, they were jailed
because ... the court has decided that they have broken the Official
Secrets Act,”He said that it is a ridiculus statement.