Hyderabad/New Delhi: The Indian Journalists Union has strongly condemned imprisonment of two Myanmar journalists for exposing the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in that country. Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who worked for Reuters were sentenced to seven years in jail on Monday under the Officials Secrets Act for their investigative reports on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims by the military.
In a statement on Wednesday, IJU president S N Sinha, secretary-general Amar Devulapalli and vice-president Sabina Inderjit demanded that the two journalists be released immediately and unconditionally as they were framed by the officials. They said the two reporters were doing their job with integrity by exposing the systematic military operations against the Rohingya Muslim dominated villages in Rakhine state of Myanmar which amounted to ‘ethnic cleansing’.
“It is unfortunate that the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who fought against the military junta in the country to restore democracy, was now resorting to most undemocratic acts by stifling the free media and independent journalists. She should understand that her victory against the military junta was possible only because of the support she received from the free media and independent journalists the world over”, the IJU leaders said. The IJU demanded that the Government India condemn the undemocratic acts of the government in the neighboring country and impose sanctions against it if refuses to release the imprisoned journalists.(NSS)
