US rips upholding of Reuters journalists' sentences

WASHINGTON

The U.S. on Wednesday strongly criticized the decision of Myanmar's Supreme Court to uphold the seven-year sentences of two Reuters journalists who reported on the extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims.

"Burma’s Supreme Court decision yesterday to uphold the sentencing of Pulitzer-prize winning journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, despite serious irregularities in the case against them, sends a profoundly negative signal about freedom of expression and the protection of journalists in Burma," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, using the U.S. government's preferred name for Myanmar.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were each sentenced to seven years in prison last September under a colonial-era law for allegedly breaching the Official Secrets Act for investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men in Rakhine state.

"The United States is deeply concerned by recent arrests of reporters, political activists, civil society members, and satirical performers in Burma," Ortagus added. "We urge Burma to protect hard-earned freedoms, prevent further backsliding on recent democratic gains, and reunite these journalists with their families."

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Myanmar's government and military shortly after the ruling, saying both parties seem equally determined to extinguish any ability to question their misrule and rights violations when it comes to media freedom.

“These two journalists are just the most prominent victims of this pernicious campaign against freedom of expression that is rapidly spreading in all parts of the country,” said HRW’s deputy Asia director Phil Robertson.