A Myanmar military court has sentenced a local journalist to life imprisonment and a colleague to 20 years in prison after convicting him under an anti-terrorism law, their editor said on Wednesday (August 28, 2024).
The sentences handed down to Myo Myint Oo and Aung San Oo of the independent online news service Dawei Watch appear to be the harshest sentences handed down to any journalists since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover sparked armed resistance and an ongoing civil war.
Myanmar is one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists, second only to China, and is ranked 171st on a press freedom index out of 180 countries, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.
Two independent journalists were killed in Myanmar last week, one of whom was reportedly captured when security forces raided the home of one of them in the southern state of Mon. Several local resistance fighters were also killed.
Myo Myint Oo, 41, and Aung San Oo, 49, both from Dawei Watch, were arrested separately last December from their homes in the coastal town of Myeik, about 560 kilometres (350 miles) south of Yangon, three days after they returned from hiding.
The military government has not commented on their cases.
Kyaw San Min, editor-in-chief of Dawei Watch Media, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Aung San Oo was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a military court at Myeik Prison in February and Myo Myint Oo was sentenced to life imprisonment by the same court in May, but he could not obtain further details.
He said the two men had been convicted under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law, but the circumstances were unclear. The law punishes acts of violence and “acts of inciting, persuading, promoting and recruiting any person to participate in any terrorist group or terrorist activities.”
Kyaw San Min said information about the punishments had been received some time ago but that they had withheld it until the safety of the men’s family members was assured. He did not provide details.
The editor said, “The punishment given to both the journalists is very harsh. It is very unjust to give such a big punishment to the journalists.”
Kyaw San Min said a total of five Dawei Watch journalists and a columnist have been arrested since the military seized power and began a crackdown on independent media. Three of the journalists have since been released.
Most media outlets, including Dawei Watch, now operate semi-clandestinely, publishing online to avoid arrest of their staff. Others work from exile.
Dawei Watch issued a statement on its Facebook page on Tuesday saying it strongly condemns the military government for illegally arresting, interrogating and detaining journalists without giving them the right to fair defense under the law.
“We urge his immediate release,” it said.
The statement said security forces told Myo Myint Oo and Aung San Oo that they were detained because of their reporting. Their laptops and phones were confiscated.
The statement said the two were beaten for four days at the detention center before being sent to prison. The AP and others have reported how some detainees are tortured after their arrest.
“These types of extreme court rulings are intended to instill fear in all journalists and will have a negative impact on independent media in Myanmar,” Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia representative for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said in an emailed statement.
At least seven media workers have been killed and others detained and tortured in Myanmar since the military takeover, according to media workers in Myanmar. At least 15 media outlets have had their licenses revoked and at least 172 journalists have been arrested, of whom about 40 to 50 are still in custody and half of them have been convicted and sentenced, media workers in Myanmar reported.
Most of the detained journalists were allegedly charged with inciting fear, spreading false news or agitating against a government servant or violating anti-terrorism laws.