Reuters journalists in Myanmar freed but press freedom and rule of law still in jeopardy
Reuters reporters U Wa Lone and U Kyaw Soe Oo were recently released from prison in Myanmar. They spent 16 months behind bars on charges related to their reporting on the Inn Din massacre of Rohingya civilians in September 2017. Their imprisonment and the Myanmar courts’ repeated rulings against their appeals drew condemnation from international civil society groups and leaders around the globe – from Pope Francis to US Vice President Mike Pence.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s report for Reuters in 2017 documented the killing and mass burial of 10 Rohingya men. The reporters were arrested while working on the story and later sentenced to seven years in prison. While they were in prison, the story won their team the Pulitzer Prize.
Skylar Lindsay
