Jass Kaur Bindra
Second round of the hearing of journalists of the Associated Press has begun in Myanmar, Hanging.
Thein Zaw and other journalists arrested for covering the anti-coup protest are returning back to Myanmar Courts. The journalists faced three years behind bars.
Thein Zaw’s lawyer Tin Zar Oo clarified that she will file for bail shortly.
According to the Assistance Association For Political Prisoners states “About 40 members of the media have been detained since the court and roughly half of them remain in custody”. Along with the other prisoners on 27 February 7 prisoners including Thein Zaw was arrested.
Extensive news coverage of anti-coup protest, led to the cancellation of licence of the outlets who covered the news.
Number of News Association despite being barred from broadcasting news have begun broadcasting. These include- Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now, 7Day News.
Shawn Crispin stated, “Associated press journalist Thein Zaw or and all the other journalists wrongly detained in Myanmar should be immediately and unconditionally released. The abuse of way criminal charges to jail journalists is tantamount to making all
news reporting a crime. Myanmar’s Junta must stop detaining journalists and allow reporters to do their jobs without fear and reprisal.”
He is senior representative for South East Asia of the New York-based committee to protect journalists.
Thein Zaw and others were charged under Sub Section 505 A of the penal Code of Myanmar.
The section States- “any attempt to cause fear, spread false news or edited directly or indirectly a criminal offence against a government employee.”
Junta amended this section and made it wide by including any attempt to raise voice against the government under its ambit.
Moreover, while reminding this section the term for which the journalists can be charged was increased from 2 to 3 years.
The arrest of Thein Zaw was done on the grounds of photographing police and the anti- coup protests. He was simply photographing them and once she left the place the police rushed behind him, surrounded him and took him under their clutches.
This was evident by means of a video. He was handcuffed and taken by the police. The hearing will take place in Insein Prison, North Yangon. It is the place where Thein Zaw has been under arrest.
“The present has been notorious for decades for holding political detainees and hundreds of people arrested during the latest crackdown are jailed there.”
In the present time neither the lawyer nor the family members were allowed to meet Thein Zaw. It was finally in the hearing that a 10 minutes’ video conference was allowed with Thein Zaw.