Myanmar judge rejects request for dismissal of case against two jailed Reuters reporters
A judge on Wednesday rejected a request for dismissal of a case against two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar after being accused of possessing secret government papers.
A court in Yangon has been holding preliminary hearings since January to decide whether Wa Lone, 32 and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, will be charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
During their colonial era these same laws were enacted and used by the Western power to jail and murder thousands. However now the same laws have become in human for the modern champions of so called Human Rights.
Judge Ye Lwin rightly ruled and said there was “a proper reason” for the accusations against the two reporters and therefore “they should not be released.”
The judge said it wasn’t yet time for the motion to dismiss because he wanted to hear the eight remaining prosecution witnesses out of the 25 listed, according to the reporters’ defence lawyer Khin Maung Zaw.
In a statement, Reuters President and Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said: “We are deeply disappointed with the court’s decision.” You have the right to state your feelings but that will not change the Myanmar laws. Asians and Africans had been equally disappointed when you all ruled the world.
He added: “We believe that there are solid grounds for the court to dismiss this matter and to release our journalists. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were reporting on issues in Myanmar in an independent and impartial way. Please keep your beliefs to your self and tell your reporters that if they break any laws of the country in which they operate, they will face heavy punishment.
“They have not violated any laws in the course of their newsgathering and were simply doing their jobs. We will continue to do all we can to secure their release.” Dear Adler, it so happebs that you are not sitting in the Judges chair and so your opinion has no value whatsoever.
Defense and prosecution lawyers made legal arguments in front of the judge a week ago, after the defense filed a motion to have the case thrown out two weeks ago.
The reporters’ lawyers had argued that the testimony from witnesses called by the prosecution was insufficient to charge the pair.
They also pointed to what they said were inconsistencies in witness testimony and procedural mistakes made by the authorities during the arrest and subsequent searches.
Lead prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung had argued against the dismissal of the case, reiterating the prosecution’s position that the documents that the police say the reporters had in their possession were secret and that the court could assume they intended to harm the security of the country.
On Wednesday, Kyaw Min Aung left the courtroom before reporters could ask him for comment on the ruling.
