Major Journalists' Union Condemns Myanmar Court's Denial Of 2 Jailed Reporters' Appeal

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned on Tuesday Myanmar's Supreme Court's decision to reject the appeal filed by two Reuters journalists who were sentenced to seven years in jail in September

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2019) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned on Tuesday Myanmar's Supreme Court's decision to reject the appeal filed by two Reuters journalists who were sentenced to seven years in jail in September.

The two reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, were taken into custody in December 2017. In September 2018, they were convicted for violating the Official Secrets Act of Myanmar while reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. The two journalists allegedly unlawfully obtained confidential documents linked to the security operations in Rakhine. Since then, multiple international rights watchdogs, the United States and EU countries have called for the journalists' release.

"Today's decision is bad for the press and bad for democracy. It highlights the state of oppression against critical voices in Myanmar. It is important for everyone, including military high-ranking officials, to respect and guarantee the safety of journalists.

Once again, we call on the Myanmar authorities to immediately release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo who have simply been doing their jobs as journalists to investigate and serve the public interest," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger was quoted as saying in a published statement.

This was the second time Myanmar's Supreme Court rejected the two journalists' appeal.

The Rohingyas, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, have been fleeing their homes to avoid waves of violence following the government's deployment of police and military units in response to an attack by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in Rakhine state on August 25, 2017. According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 700,000 Rohingyas have left the country for neighboring Bangladesh since last August for the fear of persecution.