Jailed for the Truth

A court in Myanmar has sentenced two journalists to seven years in prison. The judge ruled that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo got hold of secret government documents. The journalists pleaded × plead CHRIS RYAN/GETTY IMAGES to say in court that you are either guilty or not guilty of a crime (verb) Sarah went before the judge and pleaded not guilty. not guilty. Many think the ruling is unfair.

The journalists were arrested while doing their job. They were reporting on military attacks against Rohingya people. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority × ethnic minority MATT277/GETTY IMAGES a group that has a different race, religion, or cultural tradition from the main population of the country where they live (noun) The fire chief worked to recruit Chinese Americans and other people from an ethnic minority to work in the fire department. in Myanmar. Some 700,000 of them have fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape recent violence. The United Nations (U.N.) is calling for criminal charges against military officers.

Wa Lone warned the crowd outside the court. Leaders are “destroying freedom of the press in our country,” he said.

Other journalists in Myanmar have faced trouble. More than 30 have been charged with crimes for their work there in the past few years. Myanmar’s government says reports of violence against Rohingya are “fake news.”

Nikki Haley is U.S. ambassador to the U.N. She called the convictions “another terrible stain” on Myanmar’s government. She added: “In a free country, it is the duty of a responsible press to keep people informed and hold leaders accountable.”

Stop & Think! What effects might the jailing of these reporters have on other members of the press in the United States and around the world?