Myanmar journalist Than Htike Myint, a reporter at the Myaelatt Athan news agency, is serving a five-year sentence for terrorism, a charge Myanmar’s military regime has used broadly to stifle independent news reporting since staging a democracy-suspending coup in 2021.
Authorities arrested Than Htike Myint on February 6, 2025, in Myanaung Township in southwest Myanmar, where he had temporarily returned from hiding to visit his then-pregnant wife, according to the exile-run Independent Myanmar Journalists Association, a press group, and the independent DVB news site.
On April 3, a Myanaung Township court convicted Than Htike Myint under Section 52(a) of the Counterterrorism Law for having rebel People’s Defense Force contacts in his cell phone, Myaelatt Athan editor-in-chief Salai Kaung Myat Min told CPJ, noting that such sources were needed for the journalist’s reporting.
Soldiers beat Than Htike Myint during interrogations at the 51st Light Infantry Battalion Base, where he was held for seven days before being transferred to Myanaung Police Station, IMJA, the DVB report and Salai Kaung Myat Min said.
The editor told CPJ in July that the journalist is being detained at Hinthada Prison in the southern coastal Ayeyarwady Region. Myaelatt Athan did not make the news of his conviction and sentencing public until April 29, while his family tried to negotiate his release.
Than Htike Myint began reporting for Myaelatt Athan in January 2025 and had previously worked with the local DVB and Mizzima news groups as a reporter, according to Salai Kaung Myat Min and news reports.
Since the February 1, 2021, coup and subsequent protests, the military junta has engaged in an ongoing crackdown on Myanmar’s independent media, detaining and sentencing dozens of journalists.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on Than Htike Myint’s conviction, allegations of abuse, and his treatment in prison.