Journalists reunited with families after 500 days in Myanmar prison
The pair - who were jailed for breaking a colonial-era official secrets act - walked free from prison after a presidential pardon.
Tuesday 7 May 2019 09:13, UK
Two journalists jailed in Myanmar for breaking state-secrets laws while investigating a Rohingya massacre have been reunited with their families after spending more than 500 days behind bars.
Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, were arrested in December 2017 and last September were sentenced to seven years in prison for breaking a colonial-era official secrets act.
But they walked free along with 6,520 other convicts from Insein prison on Tuesday thanks to a surprise presidential pardon, smiling and waving as they went. The pair have since been pictured with their wives and daughters.
Minutes after his release, Wa Lone said: "I'm really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. I can't wait to go to my newsroom."
Ahead of their arrests, the reporters had been gathering evidence about the execution of 10 men in the village of Inn Din in Myanmar's northern Rakhine State.
The deaths happened during a widespread campaign of violence which started August 2017 and saw more than 700,000 Rohingya flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
The military crackdown followed attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents.
Their conviction sparked widespread condemnation and was criticised as "damaging" to press freedoms in the country.
Following their release, Stephen J Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters, said: "We are enormously pleased that Myanmar has released our courageous reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
"Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their return."
Myanmar President Win Myint issued the pardons to the reporters and thousands of other prisoners, having been handing out mass amnesties since last month.
It is customary in the southeast Asian nation for authorities to free prisoners across the country around the time of the traditional New Year, which began on 17 April.
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British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had raised the case of the jailed journalists with Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a visit to Burma in September.
He tweeted: "I am extremely grateful she has listened to me and many others and responded to a clear miscarriage of justice. In a world where media freedom is under attack this is a rare glimmer of hope."
During their time in jail, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were awarded a number of accolades for the report they had been writing including a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
In a statement, Amal Clooney, who was part of the legal team representing the reporters, praised Reuters for its determination in fighting for justice.
She said: "It is inspiring to see a news organisation so committed to the protection of innocent men and the profession of journalism.
"It has been an honour to represent Reuters and the two journalists in this case and I hope that their release signals a renewed commitment to press freedom in Myanmar."
Today's announcement comes after a final appeal to Myanmar's supreme court was rejected in April.