Myanmar: Prosecutor Seeks Official Secrets Act Charges Against Two Reuters Journalists

The two journalists had worked on a Reuters coverage of the crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where about 655,000 Rohingya Muslims had fled from a military crackdown on militants.

Chit Su Win, wife of Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, and her daughter wait before the two Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo appear in court in Yangon, Myanmar, January 10, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Stringer
Chit Su Win, wife of Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, and her daughter wait before the two Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo appear in court in Yangon, Myanmar, January 10, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Chit Su Win, wife of Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, and her daughter wait before the two Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo appear in court in Yangon, Myanmar, January 10, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Yangon: Myanmar prosecutors sought charges on Wednesday against two Reuters reporters under the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, the reporters’ lawyer said.

Wa Lone, 31 and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were detained on December 12 after they had been invited to meet police officers over dinner.

The two had worked on Reuters coverage of a crisis in the western state of Rakhine, where – according to UN’s estimates – about 655,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from a fierce military crackdown on militants.

(Reuters)