Reuters journalists are released after reports on Rohingya refugees
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the release of two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned in Myanmar after reporting on security forces’ abuses of Rohingya Muslims.
Mr Hunt branded the incarceration of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had been sentenced to seven years in jail, a “clear miscarriage of justice”.
The Foreign Secretary hailed their release as a “rare glimmer of hope” amid attacks on media freedom around the world. Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who represented the journalists, said she hoped the move signalled “a renewed commitment to press freedom in Myanmar”.
Mr Hunt said he raised their case with Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s civilian leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, during a visit to Myanmar in September.
He tweeted: “I am extremely grateful she has listened to me and many others and responded to a clear miscarriage of justice. In a world where media freedom is under attack, this is a rare glimmer of hope.”
Mr Hunt, who lobbied for the release of the two journalists, said he hoped their release would mark the start of a new openness by the Myanmar authorities over the treatment of the Rohingya.
“Obviously we hope this can be the start of a new chapter in relations with Myanmar [Burma] and that same openness can apply to what is happening in Rakhine province to the Rohingya,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were convicted of breaking Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act over their reporting of abuses by Burmese security forces.
They were first arrested in December 2017 and sentenced in September after being accused of illegally possessing official documents.
Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said the agency was “enormously pleased” their “courageous reporters” had been released.
“Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world,” he said. “We welcome their return.”
Mrs Clooney, who is married to actor George Clooney, praised Mr Adler for his “incredible determination” in securing their release.
“It is inspiring to see a news organisation so committed to the protection of innocent men and the profession of journalism,” she said.
“It has been an honour 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.” Myanmar’s military launched a brutal counter insurgency campaign in the western state of Rakhine in 2017, driving more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees to flee to Bangladesh.
The Reuters reporters had worked on an investigation into the killings of ten Rohingya villagers in Inn Din village. Last year, the Myanmar government said seven soldiers had been sentenced to up to ten years in prison.