Bangkok: Myanmar’s military junta should stop prosecuting journalists and end its assault on independent media, Human Rights Watch said today.
Since the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s junta has arrested 98 journalists, 46 of whom are currently in detention, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Six journalists have been convicted, including five for violating section 505A of the penal code, a new provision that makes it a crime to publish or circulate comments that "cause fear" or spread "false news."
"Myanmar’s junta has made the mass arrest of journalists and control over the media a key component of its seizure of power from a democratically elected government," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director, in a press release.
According to him, the junta’s intensifying surveillance, harassment and detention of journalists is rapidly turning Myanmar into one of the region’s most dangerous places to be a journalist.
On June 30 the Ministry of Information issued a warning to journalists to stop describing the military-appointed State Administration Council as a "junta" or face prosecution.
It also warned foreign news agencies to cease using the terms "military council" or "military junta," and to stop "disseminating false news to global people."
According to Robertson, international human rights law prohibits arbitrary restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech and expression, including by detaining journalists and banning media outlets.
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