{"id":1713,"date":"2017-07-03T17:32:02","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T00:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=1713"},"modified":"2017-07-03T17:32:02","modified_gmt":"2017-07-04T00:32:02","slug":"eu-urges-myanmar-to-protect-free-speech-after-arrests-of-journalists-the-irrawaddy-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=1713","title":{"rendered":"“EU Urges Myanmar to Protect Free Speech After Arrests of Journalists”, The Irrawaddy Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

By REUTERS, Yangoon,\u00a0<\/span>3 July 2017<\/p>\n

YANGON \u2014 The European Union on Monday urged\u00a0Myanmar\u00a0to protect journalists from \u201cintimidation, arrest or prosecution\u201d after several cases of reporters running into trouble with the law, including three detained by the army last week.<\/p>\n

The three reporters were accused of breaching the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act after covering the burning of drugs by the rebel Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse.<\/p>\n

Journalists and rights groups say that over a year since democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s National League for Democracy came to power, the gains made in press freedom since the end of decades of strict military rule risk being reversed.<\/p>\n

The European Union said the right to freedom of opinion and expression is a human right guaranteed to all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe therefore call on the government of\u00a0Myanmar\u00a0to provide the necessary legal protection for journalists to work in a free and enabling environment without fear of intimidation, arrest or prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three reporters arrested last week\u2014Democratic Voice of Burma reporters Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Naing, and Lawi Weng of the Irrawaddy magazine\u2014are in prison in the northeastern town of Hsipaw. The first hearing in their case is on July 11.<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi\u2019s spokesman, Zaw Htay, has said that everyone \u201cshould be treated according to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi herself has not commented on the three or on other cases of reporters running afoul of the law.<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi\u2019s defenders say the Nobel Peace Prize winner\u2014who spent years under house arrest for opposing army rule\u2014is hamstrung by a military-drafted constitution that keeps the generals in politics and free from civilian oversight.<\/p>\n

The military said the three reporters had communicated with a group
\n\u201ccurrently opposing the country\u2019s rule of law using arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

The European Union said that in recent months the arrest and prosecution of journalists had reached \u201ca worrying number.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the cases against journalists are for suspected violations of a broadly worded telecommunications law decried by human rights monitors as a violation of free speech.<\/p>\n

In one such case, Kyaw Min Swe, an editor at the Voice daily, was arrested last month over an article mocking the military. His trial is underway.<\/p>\n

Reporters protesting against what they see as the threat to press freedom say that military intelligence agents have taken their pictures, a reminder of the days of harsh military rule when no opposition was tolerated.<\/p>\n

The Irrawaddy Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By REUTERS, Yangoon,\u00a03 July 2017 YANGON \u2014 The European Union on Monday urged\u00a0Myanmar\u00a0to protect journalists from \u201cintimidation, arrest or prosecution\u201d after several cases of reporters running into trouble with the law, including three detained by the army last week. The three reporters were accused of breaching the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act after covering the burning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1714,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1713\/revisions\/1714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}