YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar authorities have accused Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw and five other members of the media of violating a public order law that could see them imprisoned for up to three years, said a lawyer on Tuesday.
The six were arrested while covering protests against the February 1 military coup in Myanmar that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The group includes journalists from Myanmar Now, Myanmar Photo Agency, 7Day News, Zee Kwet online news and a freelancer.
Lawyer Tin Zar Oo, who represents Thein Zaw, said the six have been charged under a law that punishes anyone who causes fear among the public, who knowingly spreads false news, or who acts directly or indirectly by a crime against a government employee.
The law was amended by the board last month to expand its scope and increase the maximum two-year prison sentence.
Thein Zaw, 32, was arrested Saturday morning in Yangon, the country’s largest city. He was reportedly detained in Insein Prison, north of Yangon, famous for housing political prisoners under previous military regimes.
According to the lawyer, Thein Zaw was detained by a court and can be detained until March 12 without any further hearing or any other action.
The AP has called for his immediate release.
“Independent journalists should be allowed to report news freely and securely without fear of retribution,” Ian Phillips, AP’s vice president of international news, said after the arrest. “AP declares in the strongest terms the arbitrary detention of Thein Zaw.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined this call.
“Myanmar authorities must release all journalists detained behind bars and stop threatening and harassing journalists for simply covering street protests against the coup,” said Shawn Crispin, a senior representative of the United States. CPJ in Southeast Asia. “Myanmar should not go back to past dark times, where military rulers imprisoned journalists for stifling and censoring the news.”
Thein Zaw was arrested while police were charging against protesters gathered at a Yangon intersection that has become a meeting point for protesters.
Authorities increased their repression against protesters this past weekend, carrying out mass arrests and using lethal force. UN human rights officials say they believe at least 18 people were shot dead in several cities on Sunday when security forces opened fire on the crowd of protesters.
The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule.
In December 2017, two journalists working for the Reuters news agency were arrested while working on a story about Myanmar’s Rohingya minority. They were accused of illegally possessing official documents, although they argued that they were framed due to official opposition to their reports.
Although their case attracted international attention, they were sentenced the following year and sentenced to seven years behind bars. They were released in 2019 in a massive presidential pardon.