Myanmar: PEC denounces military crackdown on continued Burmese scribes confinement

Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body denounces the continued crackdown on the media by the military junta of  Myanmar (also known as Burma and Brahmadesh) and urges the international community to support the Burmese media fraternity during this rough phase.

According to the local media outlets in Yangon, the former capital city of Myanmar, three journalists were imprisoned  for covering anti-junta demonstrations across the south-east Asian nation in the first week of April 2022. Ma Lwe Am Phaung, a female television scribe at Shan State's Shwe Phee Myay news agency, was imprisoned on April 7. The court sentenced another Shan State-based journalist, Khaing Myint Tun (alias Shwe Lin Thit), to prison the same day. Earlier on the day, on April 5, a Mandalay-based scribe named Win Naing Oo was imprisoned by a Mandalay court.

Freelance journalists Zaw Linn Htut (alias Phoe Thar), Myanmar Herald reporter Ye Yint Tun, MFP news agency video editor Aung Zaw Zaw, Mizzima News correspondent Than Htike Aung, Kamayut media news agency founder Han Thar Nyein, and others were sentenced to prison previously for  opposing Myanmar's military dictatorship . Since the uprising on February 1st, more than 130 journalists have been imprisoned, with 50 currently being held.

Blaise Lempen, the president of PEC stated "As the military leaders of Naypietaw continue their anti-media crackdown, journalists across Myanmar have been forced to hiding." "Even though the junta claims to be working within the confines of the law, the men in uniform have targeted the protesting voices." 

Meanwhile, Nava Thakuria, PEC's South-East Asia representative, stated that the military government in Myanmar has made it extremely impossible for professional journalists to work. The generals have forgotten to respect the press and have engaged in a slew of negative actions, including revoked permissions for a number of media outlets and personally targeting active media employees, some of whom have fled to neighbouring countries.