Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the military junta in Myanmar Tuesday to stop prosecuting journalists and added that punitive action against them is an assault on independent media.
The group pointed out the arbitrary arrest of 98 journalists, out of which 46 are still in detention. It also outlined the usage of the newly enacted section 505A of the penal code under which six journalists have been convicted so far. The law criminalizes the publication or circulation of comments that “cause fear” or spread fake news, which the authorities arbitrarily exploit as per their discretion.
HRW listed the names those who have been convicted and sentenced under section 505A of the penal code of Myanmar:
Kaung Myat Hlaing, from Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), who was arrested at his home in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, and sentenced to two years in prison.
Min Nyo, from DVB, who was arrested while reporting on a protest in Pyay Region, and sentenced to three years.
Thet Naing Win, from DVB, who was arrested in Bago Region and sentenced to three years.
Zaw Zaw, a freelance reporter who was arrested while covering demonstrations in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region and sentenced to two years.
Htoo San, a freelance photographer in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, who was sentenced to three years.
This comes when the Ministry of Information warned journalists in June not to describe the governing administration as a “Junta” and threatened them with prosecution if they failed to comply.
HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson stated that the military junta’s mass arrest of journalists and its control over independent media serves as a key component of its seizure of power from the democratically elected government in Myanmar. He added that the junta’s surveillance and arbitrary detention of media personnel are rapidly turning Myanmar into one of the most dangerous places in the region for journalists.
The group alleged that the Myanmar administration is in gross violation of international human rights law that prohibits arbitrary detentions and silencing journalists and media outlets by stifling their freedom of speech and expression.
The military”s sustained crackdown on independent media and the arrests of journalists, combined with tightening censorship, threatens to isolate Myanmar’s people with only junta propaganda. The junta should immediately and unconditionally drop all politically motivated charges against journalists, reinstate the licenses of banned media outlets, and revoke abusive laws used against members of the media.
