Myanmar jails two Reuters' reporters for seven years

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Myanmar sentenced two Reuters' journalists to seven years in jail after finding them guilty of breaching the country's official secrets law.

The two Yangon-based journalists, Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected and obtained confidential documents, Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin said.

Relatives of journalist Kyaw Soe Oo react while waiting for the verdict at Insein court in Yangon, September 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

"The defendants ... have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years. The time already served by the defendants from Dec. 12 will be taken into consideration," the judge said.

The United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and countries including the United States, Canada and Australia have called for the acquittal of the two Reuters journalists, who were arrested last December.

A view of the Insein court prior to the arrival of detained journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for their trial in Yangon, Sept. 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

"We will not wait while Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo suffer this injustice and will evaluate how to proceed in the coming days, including whether to seek relief in an international forum," said Stephen J Adler, Reuters' editor in chief.

The verdict had been postponed for a week because Judge Ye Lwin was ill.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay has mostly declined to comment throughout the proceedings.

Source(s): Reuters