Myanmar’s presidential amnesty freed two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned for their reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. On Tuesday, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have left the jail together with more than 6,000 prisoners freed by the presidential decree.
After more than a year in detention, two Reuters journalists were freed from Yangon’s notorious Insein prison on Tuesday. They stepped out of jail thanks to the presidential amnesty and the global outraged. The freedom of journalists was the only aim of the vigorous global campaign for their release.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in December 2017, they spent 511 days in jail without losing the hope to be freed. The arrest was a clear and loud signal of Myanmar’s deteriorating press freedoms under Aung San Suu Kyi. She was under fire for neglecting the issue of human rights and arrest of two Myanmar journalists.
Upon stepping out the jail, both Wa Lone and and Kyaw Soe Oo thanked people for advocating for their release and vowed he would return to work. “I can’t wait to go to my newsroom,” the 33-year-old Wa said and added he is a journalist who is going to continue.
Courageous reporters freed from Yangon’s notorious Insein prison
Commenting on Myanmar’s president decision to free journalists, Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said: “We are enormously pleased that Myanmar has released our courageous reporters”.
During 16 months, Lone and Soe Oo have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. The free worldwarmly welcome their return and applauds ffor their readiness to continue their work.
On Tusday, Myanmar’s presidential amnesty has freed more than 6,000 prisoners, the local media reported.
