Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar freed from prison after more than 500 days

Reuters reporters freed after more than 500 days in jail

Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar walked free from prison after more than 500 days behind bars. The journalists were investigating the killings of Muslim men in Rakhine State. They were then arrested and convicted for breaking the Official Secrets Act. According to Reuters reports, the two were released under a presidential amnesty to representatives of Reuters and to Lord Ara Darzi, a member of an advisory group to Myanmar’s government on reforms in Rakhine State. Prior to the release, the families of the two journalists wrote to State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. In January, the Yangon High Court dismissed an appeal, followed by the Myanmar Supreme Court rejecting the journalists’ final appeal in April. The appeal cited the lack of proof of a crime. President Win Myint has pardoned thousands of other prisoners in mass amnesties since last month. The imprisonment of the Reuters journalists was massively criticized by the international community and their release was welcomed and widely reported by international media.

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