Myanmar freelance journalist La Pyae, a contributor to the local Bago Weekly news publication, was arrested on April 5, 2021, under unclear circumstances, according to a Democratic Voice of Burma report and a database maintained by the rights group Assistance Association of Political Prisoners.
La Pyae is being held at Pyay Prison in the Bago Region, according to the association. CPJ could not determine under what charges he was being held.
His arrest came in the wake of the military’s February 1, 2021, democracy-suspending coup and subsequent protests. The military junta cracked down on Myanmar’s independent media, detaining dozens of journalists, according to those sources and CPJ research.
The Ministry of Information did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on whether he has been charged and why he is being held.