US calls Myanmar court ruling ‘deeply troubling’

Yangon, Sep 3 : The U.S. says the conviction of two Reuters reporters in Myanmar is “deeply troubling for all who support press freedom and the transition toward democracy.”

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were found guilty Monday of violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act while reporting on government abuses against the country’s Rohingya Muslims.

In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Yangon said “the clear flaws in this case raise serious concerns about rule of law and judicial independence in Myanmar, and the reporters’ conviction is a major setback to the Government of Myanmar’s stated goal of expanding democratic freedoms.”

It called for their immediate release.

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10:40 a.m.

A court in Myanmar has sentenced two Reuters journalists to seven years in prison for illegal possession of official documents, a ruling that comes as international criticism mounts over the military’s alleged human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had pleaded not guilty to violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. They contended they were framed by police.

Monday’s verdict was postponed from a week ago.

The two journalists had been reporting last year on Myanmar’s brutal crackdown against the Rohingya in the country’s western state of Rakhine.

Investigators working for the U.N.’s top human rights body said last week that genocide charges should be brought against senior Myanmar military officers over the crackdown.