Reuters journalists freed in Myanmar after 511 days

International Desk: Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar under the country's Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya civilians have been freed after more than 500 days.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo walked free Tuesday from Yangon's Insein jail, amid a gaggle of reporters, just weeks after their final appeal was quashed.

The pair, who received this year's Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, have been locked up since December 2017, when they were charged under the country's colonial-era Official Secrets Act for allegedly disseminating secret information sensitive to national security.

The two men were released as part of an amnesty of 6,520 prisoners by the country's President Win Myint.

As he left the prison, Wa Lone thanked supporters for calling for his and his colleague's release.

"Inside in the prison and also around the world people were wishing to release us so I'd like to say thank you very much for everything," he said, adding he was "really happy -- excited -- to see my family and colleagues. And I can't wait to go to my newsroom."

Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler described the two men as "courageous reporters" and "symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world," adding that both he and the organization "welcomed their return."

In a statement, the journalists' lawyer Amal Clooney said that "since taking on this case over a year ago, I have witnessed incredible determination by Reuters, in particular editor-in-chief Steve Adler and Chief Counsel Gail Gove, in their pursuit of justice for their brave reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo."

"It is inspiring to see a news organization so committed to the protection of innocent men and the profession of journalism," she added. "It has been an honor to represent Reuters and the two journalists in this case and I hope that their release signals a renewed commitment to press freedom in Myanmar."

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/May 7, 2019/Nasim