On October 29, police and military personnel raided the office of the independent news outlet, the Development Media Group, arresting reporter Htet Aung and shuttering the outlet. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Myanmar Journalists Network (MJN) condemn the raid and closure as an attack on press freedom and call on the international community to embolden efforts in support of Myanmar’s independent media.
Myanmar Now photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike has been sentenced to over 20 years in prison on September 6, following his coverage of the impacts of the devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha in May. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the journalist’s sentencing and urges international governments, human rights organisations, and media groups to intensify efforts to end the military junta’s unrelenting assault on press freedom.
Myanmar’s military has threatened legal action against independent media outlets Democratic Voice of Burma and Mizzima, demanding the shuttered organisations pay broadcasting fees incurred before military rule, and charging seven Mizzima employees under Section 505(a) of the country’s penal code. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Myanmar Journalists Network (MJN), in condemning the junta s farcical legal action and demanding it cease its attacks on the media.
On the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, the South East Asia Journalists Unions (SEAJU) strongly condemned the military junta’s continued gross violations of human rights, persecution of journalists and attacks on independent media. The region’s media unions called on the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar’s military to guarantee the safety of all Burmese citizens and cease the state-sanctioned violence, arbitrary arrests and draconian laws that have suppressed activists and stifled freedom of expression.
16 journalists and media workers lost their lives in the Asia Pacific region in 2022, the second highest rate of killings globally, the International Federation of Journalists’ (IFJ) annual Killed List has found. The IFJ strongly condemns the ongoing violence and danger faced by media workers in the region and calls for increased action to end impunity for crimes against journalists.