A Myanmar court has jailed two reporters for two months for defamation, a newspaper editor said today, in a case likely to raise concern about a reform programme after half a century of strict military rule.
The media in Myanmar has enjoyed sweeping freedoms since a semi-civilian government took power in 2011 but the Committee to Protect Journalists said recently that since then, 10 journalists had been jailed and 19 were facing trial, and Myanmar was the 10th worst jailor of media workers in 2014.
The Myanmar Post Journal said a court in Mon State had sentenced its chief editor, Than Htike Thu, and deputy chief reporter, Hsan Moe Tun, to the prison terms on Wednesday after a military representative to parliament had filed a complaint.
The role of the military in parliament is sensitive with the party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi calling for constitutional changes that would essentially weaken the military's legislative powers.
"We'll open all legal avenues for the freedom of our men," he said.
"It's completely unacceptable at a time when the country is building democracy," he said.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, said in a statement this week that Myanmar had come a long way since its transition began but significant challenges remained.
"This needs to stop if Myanmar wants to create a meaningful democratic space."
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