Myanmar Now photojournalist Ko Sai Zaw Thaike, who was detained in Sittwe Township, Rakhine State, was handed a 20-year prison sentence with hard labor by the Military Council on September 6th.
Ko Sai Zaw Thaike was apprehended in Sittwe, a region under the control of the Military Council while en route to Rathedaung Township in Rakhine State, where he intended to cover the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha.
Journalists are expressing their deep concern and strong condemnation regarding the arrest and imprisonment of a fellow journalist who was diligently reporting on the challenges faced by those affected by the storm.
"Journalists are just doing their job, delivering accurate news to the people. We strongly oppose such an arrest and long prison sentence. It seems like the military dictator is trying to scare us to cover up their injustice and the real situation on the ground”, said U Kaung Myat Naing, editor-in-chief of Border News Agency.
Following the arrest, authorities subjected Sai Zaw Thaike to interrogation for about a week in Sittwe and Yangon. He was transferred to Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison in mid-June on a remand issued by the South Dagon Township court.
His initial indictment included charges for misinformation, incitement, and sedition under various statutes–article 27 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, section 66(D) of the Telecommunications Law, and sections 505(A) and 124(A) of the Penal Code, which carry sentences varying from one to 20 years, according to Myanmar Now.
Ko Sai Zaw Thaike was provided with no legal representation throughout his detention, and there were no court hearings or other proceedings held inside the Insein Prison compound before his conviction, Myanmar Now stated.
“All of Sai Zaw Thaike’s colleagues at Myanmar Now and I are deeply saddened to hear of the lengthy sentence handed down to him. He's been with us since 2017. In all our important stories, Ko Sai Thaike consistently reported from the front lines, never hesitating to put himself in harm's way”, said Myanmar Now’s editor-in-chief Ko Swe Win.
Another reporter pointed out that since the coup, the Military Council has ramped up the arrests of journalists and imprisoning them without permitting them to see their families is absolutely unacceptable.
"When you see that the Myanmar Now photojournalist, who was reporting on Cyclone Mocha's aftermath, got a long prison sentence without seeing his family, it shows the Junta is really scared of the media exposing their wrongdoings”, he told DMG.
According to documentation by the media rights monitoring group Detained Journalists Information, at least 156 journalists were arrested after the coup, of whom at least 50 were still behind bars, and 4 were killed as of 1st May of this year.
Photo caption - Myanmar Now photojournalist Ko Sai Zaw Thaike
