The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on Aug. 27, in a case seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after hearing closing arguments from both sides, during which lawyers for the two journalists said they had been “trapped” by police in an effort to interfere with their reporting of a massacre of Rohingya Muslims. </s> related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

YANGON: The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after closing arguments had been delivered.

The court in Yangon has been holding hearings since January to decide whether, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are guilty of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. </s> YANGON (Reuters) - The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after closing arguments had been delivered.

The court in Yangon has been holding hearings since January to decide whether, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are guilty of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. </s> A court in Myanmar has charged two jailed Reuters news agency journalists with obtaining secret state documents, moving the landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of preliminary hearings.

Yangon district judge Ye Lwin on Monday charged reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, with breaching the colonial-era Official Secret Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

The two journalists were detained in December for possessing material relating to security operations in conflict-hit Rakhine state.

Myanmar has faced global condemnation and accusations of extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing and genocide as some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state in Myanmar to Bangladesh following a military crackdown “on insurgents”.

Stephen Adler, Reuters’ president and editor-in chief, said in a statement: “We are deeply disappointed that the court declined to end this protracted and baseless proceeding against Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

“These Reuters journalists were doing their jobs in an independent and impartial way, and there are no facts or evidence to suggest that they’ve done anything wrong or broken any law.

“They should be released and reunited with their families, friends, and colleagues. Today’s decision casts serious doubt on Myanmar’s commitment to press freedom and the rule of law,” the statement read.

The two reporters have been held in Yangon’s Insein prison since their arrest while facing hearings to determine whether the case will go to trial, with witnesses giving testimony.

In April, their lawyers asked to dismiss the case, citing in part troubling discrepancies in witness statements, but the motion was swiftly rejected in a Yangon courtroom packed with supporters, family and media.

The pair had been investigating the massacre of 10 Rohingya men on September 2 in the Rakhine village of Inn Din, which was carried out by security forces and local villagers.

The military admitted that the atrocity took place and Reuters later published the story while the reporters were in prison. </s> A court in Myanmar has charged two jailed Reuters news agency journalists with obtaining secret state documents, moving the landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of preliminary hearings.

Yangon district judge Ye Lwin on Monday charged reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, with breaching the colonial-era Official Secret Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

The reporters pleaded not guilty.

The two journalists were detained in December for possessing material relating to security operations in conflict-hit Rakhine state.

Myanmar has faced global condemnation and accusations of extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing and genocide as some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state in Myanmar to Bangladesh following a military crackdown "on insurgents".

Stephen Adler, Reuters' president and editor-in chief, said in a statement: "We are deeply disappointed that the court declined to end this protracted and baseless proceeding against Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

"These Reuters journalists were doing their jobs in an independent and impartial way, and there are no facts or evidence to suggest that they've done anything wrong or broken any law.

"They should be released and reunited with their families, friends, and colleagues. Today's decision casts serious doubt on Myanmar's commitment to press freedom and the rule of law," the statement read.

The European Union on Monday echoed Adler's call to drop the charges.

"The European Union expects the charges against the two journalists prosecuted for merely exercising their rights to freedom of expression and carrying out their jobs to be dropped and for them to be released immediately so they can be reunited with their families and resume their vital work," a spokeswoman for the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The two reporters have been held in Yangon's Insein prison since their arrest while facing hearings to determine whether the case will go to trial, with witnesses giving testimony.

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In April, their lawyers asked to dismiss the case, citing in part troubling discrepancies in witness statements, but the motion was swiftly rejected in a Yangon courtroom packed with supporters, family and media.

The pair had been investigating the massacre of 10 Rohingya men on September 2 in the Rakhine village of Inn Din, which was carried out by security forces and local villagers.

The military admitted that the atrocity took place and Reuters later published the story while the reporters were in prison. </s> A court in Myanmar on Monday convicted two Reuters journalists for breaching the country’s Official Secrets Act, 1923, and sentenced them to seven years in prison, reported AFP.

“The defendants...have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years,” Reuters quoted the judge as saying. “The time already served by the defendants from December 12 will be taken into consideration.”

On August 28, the court postponed the verdict in the case as the judge was not keeping well.

In July, a court charged Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo with breaching the colonial-era law that carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Both the journalists have been in jail since December. In April, the court refused to dismiss the case saying there was a “proper reason” for the charges against the journalists.

The journalists had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state’s Inn Din village during an Army crackdown in 2017. The two were arrested after they were invited to meet police officers for dinner in the north of Yangon. The Ministry of Information said they had “illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media”.

The case has drawn widespread international attention, with the United States, Britain and Canada as well as the United Nations calling for the reporters to be freed. “Today is a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and press freedom anywhere,” said Reuters Editor-in-chief Stephen Adler, according to BBC. </s> Reuters journalists plead not guilty to Official Secrets Act charges in Myanmar court

A court in Myanmar has charged two jailed Reuters journalists with obtaining secret state documents, moving a landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of preliminary hearings.

Yangon district judge Ye Lwin charged reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, with breaching of the colonial-era Official Secret Act which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

The journalists pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The case has attracted global attention. Some Western diplomats and rights groups say it is a test of progress towards full democracy under the administration of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a country where the military still wields considerable influence.

In his ruling on Monday, the judge said the court had filed charges against both reporters under section 3.1 (c) of the act to probe the prosecution's allegations that they collected and obtained secret documents pertaining to the security forces with the intention to harm national security.

Proceedings will now enter the trial phase, during which defence lawyers will summon witnesses before the judge, who will then deliver a verdict, according to legal experts.

Earlier this month, defence lawyers asked the judge to throw out the case, arguing the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the charges.

They said the journalists were arrested in a sting operation by the police that was aimed at interfering with their reporting.

At the same July 2 hearing, prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung urged the judge to charge the reporters.

He said documents they had in their hands when they were arrested detailed the movements of security forces, while further documents found on their mobile phones ranged from confidential to top secret.

Myanmar Government spokesman Zaw Htay has declined to comment throughout the proceedings, saying Myanmar courts are independent and the case would be conducted according to the law.

He did not immediately answer calls seeking comment after the court ruling on Monday.

At the time of their arrest in December, the reporters had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in a village in western Myanmar's Rakhine State.

The killings took place during a military crackdown that United Nations agencies say led to more than 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The reporters have told relatives they were arrested almost immediately after being handed some rolled up papers at a restaurant in northern Yangon by two policemen they had not met before.

In April, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing testified that a senior officer had ordered his subordinates to plant secret documents on Wa Lone to "trap" the reporter.

After his court appearance, Moe Yan Naing was sentenced to a year in jail for violating police discipline by having spoken to Wa Lone, and his family was evicted from police housing.

Police have said the eviction and his sentencing were not related to his testimony.

Writers, press freedom and human rights activists around the world have rallied on behalf of the imprisoned reporters, with the United Nations and several Western countries calling for their release. </s> Verdict scheduled for next week in Myanmar reporters' trial

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A judge in Myanmar says he will deliver a verdict next Monday in the trial of two Reuters journalists that has become a key test of media freedom in the former military dictatorship.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were charged with illegally possessing official documents and face possible jail terms of up to 14 years. The reporters say they were framed by police, and did not solicit or knowingly possess any secret documents.

The two reporters had been working on a story about a massacre of Muslim Rohingya men by security forces in a village in Rakhine state during a counterinsurgency operation that critics say involved massive human rights violations and was responsible for driving 700,000 people to flee for their lives into neighboring Bangladesh. </s> The two reporters had pleaded not guilty and told the court police planted documents on them in the course of their work in reporting on Myanmar’s violence-plagued Rakhine State.

“The defendants ... have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years,” the judge said, adding that the time served since they were detained on 12 December last year would be taken into account. Their defence lawyers can appeal the decision to the regional court and then the supreme court.

Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin said Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected and obtained confidential documents.

A Myanmar judge on Monday found two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years, in a landmark case seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

STRINGER / Reuters Reuters journalist Wa Lone leaves after listening to the verdict at Insein court in Yangon, Myanmar, September 3, 2018.

The reporters had told the court two police officials handed them papers at a restaurant in the city of Yangon moments before other officers arrested them.

“We will not wait while Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo suffer this injustice and will evaluate how to proceed in the coming days, including whether to seek relief in an international forum.”

“Today is a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the press everywhere,” Reuters editor in chief Stephen Adler said in a statement.

Press freedom advocates, the United Nations, the European Union and countries including the United States, Canada and Australia had called for the journalists’ acquittal.

STRINGER / Reuters Chit Suu Win, wife of Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, reacts after listening to the the verdict at Insein court in Yangon, Myanmar September 3, 2018.

One police witness testified the restaurant meeting was a set-up to entrap the journalists to block or punish them for their reporting of a mass killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine.

At least 50 people were packed into the small court Monday, with many standing outside. Judge Ye Lwin read out a summary of witness testimony for about an hour before delivering his verdict.

He said that “confidential documents” found on the two would have been useful “to enemies of the state and terrorist organisations”. Documents in their possession and on their phones were “not public information”.

As the judge spoke, several reporters cried as they took notes.

Kyaw Soe Oo’s wife, Chit Su Win, burst into tears after the verdict, and family members had to support her as she left the court.

Wa Lone shook hands with supporters, telling them not to worry. Wearing handcuffs and flanked by police, he addressed a cluster of friends and reporters.

“We know what we did. We know we did nothing wrong. I have no fear. I believe in justice, democracy and freedom,” he said.

Kyaw Soe Oo also said the reporters had committed no crime and that they would maintain their fight for press freedom.

“What I want to say to the government is: you can put us in jail, but do not close the eyes and ears of the people,” he said.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo - who both have young daughters and have not seen their families outside of prison visits and court hearings for nearly nine months - were then taken back to prison.

Kyaw Soe Oo has a three-year-old daughter and Wa Lone’s wife, Pan Ei Mon, gave birth to their first child last month.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay didn’t respond to requests for comment about the verdict. He has mostly declined to comment throughout the proceedings, saying the courts were independent and the case would be conducted according to the law.

The verdict comes amid mounting pressure on the government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over a security crackdown sparked by attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on security forces in August 2017.

More than 700,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims have fled across western Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh since then, according to UN agencies.

US ambassador Scot Marciel, who attended the hearing, said he was sad for the two reporters and for Myanmar.

“It’s deeply troubling ... one has to ask will this process increase or decrease the confidence the people of Myanmar have in their justice system,” Marciel told reporters.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby, said he was disappointed.

“The United Nations has consistently called for the release of the Reuters journalists and urged the authorities to respect their right to pursue freedom of expression and information.”

British ambassador Dan Chugg, speaking on behalf of EU members, said the verdict had “dealt a hammer blow for the rule of law”.

The reporters were arrested on Dec. 12 while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men and boys and other abuses involving soldiers and police in Inn Din, a village in Rakhine State.

Myanmar has denied allegations of atrocities made by refugees against its security forces, saying it conducted a legitimate counterinsurgency operation against Muslim militants.

But the military acknowledged the killing of the 10 Rohingya at Inn Din after arresting the Reuters reporters.

A UN mandated fact-finding mission said last week that Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and called for top generals to be prosecuted. Myanmar rejected the findings.

The International Criminal Court is considering whether it has jurisdiction over events in Rakhine, while the United States, the European Union and Canada have sanctioned Myanmarmilitary and police officers over the crackdown.
The judge in the trial of two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar announces that he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a test of press freedom in the country. The journalists were investigating mass graves at the village of Inn Din and the massacre that took place there when they were arrested for allegedly obtaining "secret documents".