Conviction of US journalist symbolic of media repression in Myanmar: UN rights chief

Rights main Michelle Bachelet said the condemnation and harsh sentencing of American writer Danny Fenster that time was emblematic of the wider plight of journalists successful the country, who person faced changeless repression successful the aftermath of the subject coup successful February. 

Reverting to censorship 

“Journalists person been nether onslaught since 1 February, with the subject enactment intelligibly attempting to suppress their attempts to study connected the superior quality rights violations being perpetrated crossed Myanmar arsenic good arsenic the grade of absorption to the regime,” she said.  

“Myanmar has rapidly reverted to an situation of accusation control, censorship and propaganda seen nether subject regimes successful the past.” 

Since the subject takeover, astatine slightest 126 journalists, media officials oregon publishers person been detained successful Myanmar, the UN rights main said. Forty-seven are inactive successful detention, 20 of whom person been charged with crimes due to the fact that of their enactment arsenic journalists. 

She added that 9 media outlets person had their licences revoked, portion 20 others person had to suspend operations.  Dozens of journalists are reportedly successful hiding owed to outstanding apprehension warrants. 

Second proceedings pending 

Mr. Fenster, 37, is the managing exertion of an autarkic mag called Frontier Myanmar.  On Friday helium was sentenced to 11 years successful jailhouse by a subject tribunal successful Yangon, the country’s largest city, for violating visa laws, unlawful relation with an amerciable group, and sowing dissent against the military. 

The sentencing followed what the Ms. Bachelet described arsenic “a closed door, unfair trial”.  Mr. Fenster inactive faces a 2nd proceedings wherever helium faces charges of precocious treason and violations of the counter-terrorism law. 

Deprivation of information 

In deploring the persecution of journalists, Ms. Bachelet said attacks against them further increases the vulnerability of immense sections of nine who trust connected close and autarkic information. 

“With the crackdowns connected journalists, Internet shutdowns, restrictions connected escaped entree to online and different information sources, radical are being deprived life-saving information,” she added.  

“I impulse the subject authorities to instantly merchandise each journalists being detained successful narration to their work."