London – In the same week that caused great indignation in the world with the execution of four activists against the military regime, Myanmar followed the pressure of the press and condemned another journalist, who was the third in a month.
On July 29, a court in the city of Hpa-an sentenced Mekong news agency reporter Maung Myo to six years in prison for violating the Anti-Terrorism Law, according to freedom of movement organization. Protecting Journalists (CPJ).
Nyan Linn Htet, the news agency’s editor, confirmed to CPJ that Maung Myo had been convicted of having photos and interviews with members of the People’s Defense Forces set up by rebels who oppose Myanmar’s military government.
Pressure on journalists in Myanmar
According to the editor, the activities of the Mekong news agency were curtailed after the February 2021 military coup.
It was one of many journalistic organizations targeted by the censorship, which escalated the crackdown on journalists and led some to flee the country, while others were arrested and convicted for opposing the regime.
Nyan Linn Htet told CPJ that Maung Myo is being held at Taung Tin Prison and intends to appeal his conviction.
“The conviction and incarceration of journalist Maung Maung Myo is cruel and unusual and is an unfair retaliation for her work as an independent reporter,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ Representative for Southeast Asia.
“The Myanmar junta must stop associating journalism with terrorism and allow journalists to report without fear of arrest.”
Maung Myo, also known as Myo Myint Oo, was arrested at the Salween River Bridge checkpoint near Hpa-an on May 10, after authorities discovered that he had shared content from the Mekong news agency on your personal Facebook page.
He has been working for the Mekong since June 2020 and has covered various political issues, including the progression of Covid-19, protests against the coup, and conflicts between the military government and armed resistance groups.
Two more journalists sentenced to prison in Myanmar
At least two Myanmar journalists were convicted in July for covering as part of a junta-backed crackdown.
On the 7th, a Wetlet Township court in the northwest district of Sagaing sentenced Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) journalist Aung San Lin to six years in hard labor.
It took four years under the Anti-Terrorism Law and two years under the Penal Code, which criminalizes incitement and dissemination of “fake news”.
Aung San Lin was arrested by about 20 soldiers who occupied her home in the Sagaing district on December 11, 2021.
He had just published a report alleging that military forces had carried out arson attacks on the homes of three supporters of the National League for Democracy, which was overthrown in Wetlet Township.
The DVB report said he was held in Shwebo prison near the central city of Mandalay.
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According to local media reports, on July 14, an Insein municipal court in Yangon sentenced freelance reporter Nying Nying Aye, a regular contributor to local news site Mizzima, to three years in prison under the Penal Code.
According to Soe Myint, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Nying Nying Aye, also known as Mabel, began writing about national politics for Mizzima shortly after the coup. She has been under arrest since January 15th.
The Myanmar Information Ministry did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on the journalists’ convictions and sentences.
Myanmar was the world’s worst journalist prison after only China, with at least 26 behind bars when the organization made its latest prison census on December 1, 2021.
Pressure from activists and politicians
On July 25, the junta, which ruled Myanmar under intense pressure, announced that four people had been executed. They have appeared in the country for the first time in 30 years.
Deceased Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41; Kyaw Min Yu, 53, known as “Ko Jimmy”; Hla Myo Aung; and Aung Thura Zaw were convicted after closed trials that fell far below international standards, according to Human Rights Watch.
A military court sentenced Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zeya Thaw to death on January 21, 2014 under the broader Myanmar Anti-Terrorism Act. Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw were found guilty for allegedly killing a military informant in April 2021.
The executions sparked protests around the world and were classified as crimes against humanity.
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source: Noticias
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