YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, was released on Wednesday.
Thein Zaw communicated by telephone to the AP and his family after his second court hearing since his arrest almost a month ago.
As he spoke on his way home, he said the judge in his case read a statement to the court stating that all charges against him for doing his job at the time of his arrest were withdrawn.
“I am looking forward to meeting my family members,” he said, while expressing his concern for other journalists who remain in custody. “I’m sorry for some colleagues who are still in prison.”
Thein Zaw had been charged with violating a public policy law that carries a sentence of up to three years in prison.
He was one of nine media workers arrested during the February 27 street protest in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and had been detained without bail. Some 40 journalists have been arrested or charged since the February 1 coup.
The Associated Press and many press freedom organizations have called for the release of Thein Zaw and other detained members of the press.
“The Associated Press is deeply relieved that AP journalist Thein Zaw has been released from prison in Myanmar,” said Ian Phillips, AP vice president of international news. “Our relief is tempered by the fact that there are additional journalists detained. We urge Myanmar to release all journalists and allow them to report freely and safely what is happening in the interior of the country. “
Thein Zaw was arrested while photographing police, some of them armed, charging down a street against protesters against the coup. A video shows that as he was walking down the side of the street to get out of his way, several police officers ran over him and surrounded him. One put him in a choke while he was handcuffed and then they took him away.
He had been admitted to Insein Prison in Yangon, famous for decades for the political prisoner prison, and which currently detains hundreds of people to protest the coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. .
Thein Zaw’s lawyer, Tin Zar Oo, was only able to see his client for the first time in a hearing on March 12 to renew his pretrial detention, and it was even through a video link that she and one of Thein Zaw’s brothers looked at the court in Kamayut township. His next hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.