Journalists critical of the authorities in Myanmar pay dearly for their stories. Five journalists at the Unity newspaper paid with their freedom. On World Press Freedom Day we remind the government of their promises to foster a free press and demand freedom for the ‘Unity Five’.
“What I want is more media freedom." These are the words of Tint San, Chief Executive Officer at the Unity newspaper in Myanmar during his trial. His crime? Doing his job.
In January 2014, weekly newspaper Unity published an article about an alleged secret chemical weapons factory in Magwe Region, central Myanmar. Reporting that the factory was built in 2009 on land that was confiscated from farmers.
The government was quick to deny the story and responded by seizing copies of the newspaper. But worse was to come. Within days, Tint San and four journalists Lu Maw Naing, Yarzar Oo, Paing Thet Kyaw and Sithu Soe, were arrested. They were accused of disclosing state secrets, trespassing and taking photos of a restricted area. They are all now serving seven years in Pakkoku prison in central Myanmar. The Unity newspaper has since closed, casting a lingering shadow over media workers in Myanmar, who fear arrest and imprisonment simply for undertaking their work.
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Also see:
- Five Burmese journalists jailed for 10 years for a single news report, The Guardian, July 18, 2014
