Journalists Htet Htet Khine and Sithu Aung Myint arrested in Myanmar
Bangkok, August 23, 2021 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalists Htet Htet Khine and Sithu Aung Myint and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 15, military authorities in Yangon arrested Htet Htet Khine, a freelance producer for BBC Media Action, and Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist…
Myanmar now one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists
CPJ calls for targeted international sanctions New York, July 28, 2021—In the months since Myanmar’s military seized power in a February 1 coup, the country has become one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a special mid-year survey published today. The report and accompanying prison census, “Bitter…
Bitter reversal: Myanmar military coup wipes out press freedom gains
Myanmar’s junta has effectively criminalized independent journalism, arresting and charging journalists, closing news outlets, restricting access for international reporters, and driving journalists underground or into exile. Within a few months of the February military coup, the country has become one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists. A CPJ special report by Shawn W. Crispin…
CPJ to release report and host media briefing on press freedom in Myanmar
New York, July 20, 2021–Since the February military coup in Myanmar, the junta has cracked down harshly on the press, attacking reporters and photographers and jailing dozens of journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists will publish a mid-year census on journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, with analysis and recommendations. WHAT: Virtual press launch of mid-year report…
Myanmar military rearrests journalist Aung Mya Than
Bangkok, July 14, 2021 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalist Aung Mya Than and drop any pending charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 p.m. on July 10, military authorities arrested Aung Mya Than, a reporter with the local Ayeyarwady Times, at his home in the town of Maubin,…
American journalist Nathan Maung describes alleged abuse during Myanmar imprisonment
When armed authorities raided the office of news website Kamayut Media in downtown Yangon, Myanmar on March 8, editor Nathan Maung’s initial reaction was to plead not to be shot. The American journalist and his Myanmar colleague Hanthar Nyein were arrested, blindfolded, and taken to a military interrogation center, where for more two weeks they were interrogated,…
At-risk journalists who must flee home countries often find few quick and safe options
In 2018, journalist Mohammad Shubaat was in Daraa, Syria, caught between advancing forces aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the closed borders of Israel and Jordan. Despite the dire threat to Shubaat and many of his colleagues, it would take over a year of intense negotiations with some 20 countries by the Committee to…
CPJ welcomes release of American editor Nathan Maung in Myanmar
Bangkok, June 15, 2021 – In response to Myanmar authorities’ decision today to release editor Nathan Maung from custody and deport him to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “While we welcome Nathan Maung’s release from prison in Myanmar, he never should have been detained in the first place,”…
Myanmar military court sentences 2 journalists to jail for incitement
Bangkok, June 2, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned Myanmar authorities’ sentencing of two journalists to prison on charges of incitement, and called for them to be released immediately. Today, a military court in the southern city of Myeik convicted Aung Kyaw, a reporter with the Democratic Voice of Burma, and Zaw…
Myanmar arrests US editor Danny Fenster at Yangon airport
Bangkok, May 24, 2021 – In response to reports that Myanmar authorities detained Danny Fenster, a U.S. citizen and the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, at Yangon International Airport today before he boarded an international flight, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Myanmar authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Frontier Myanmar managing editor Danny…