Myanmar court awards 7 years jail to Reuters reporters investigating violence against Rohingyas

NAYPYIDAW - A court in Myanmar handed on Monday a 7-year sentence to two Reuters journalists for breaching a state secret act while investigating the oppression against Rohingyas, who are mostly Muslims.

Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin announced that Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, collected and obtained secret documents in violation of the colonial-era Official Secrets Act.

“The defendants...have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years. The time already served by the defendants from Dec. 12 will be taken into consideration,” the judge said.

Reuters editor in chief Stephen J Adler said, “Today is a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the press everywhere”.

The reporters had told the court they had received the confidential documents from two police officials at a restaurant moments before they were detained.

The Reuters reporters were arrested on December 12 last year when they were investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya and other atrocities committed by soldiers in Rakhine state.

Myanmar has denied allegations of abuses leveled by refugees against its personnel, saying they conducted a legitimate counterinsurgency operation against Muslim militants in the state.

But the military acknowledged the killing of the 10 Rohingya men and boys at Inn Din after arresting the Reuters reporters.

Crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims 'bear hallmarks of genocide': UN expert

More than 700,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims fled across western Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh, according to United Nations’ agencies.

A U.N mandated fact-finding mission revealed last week Myanmar’s military involved in mass killings, gang rapes of Muslim  Rohingya with “genocidal intent”. However, the country rejected the findings.

UN report stresses prosecution of Myanmar army chief over Rohingya genocide