2 Reuters reporters freed in Myanmar after staying 500 days in jail

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 10:29 am

Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending over 500 days behind bars.

The two reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe, 29, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail.

Media report however said that the case raised questions about Myanmar’s progress toward democracy and sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates.

They were released under a presidential amnesty for 6,520 prisoners.

President Win Myint has pardoned thousands of other prisoners in mass amnesties since April. (Reuters/NAN)