April 1 (The Killid Group) – A week after the Arakan Army was declared as terrorist organization, a court in Myanmar has charged a journalist for interviewing a top representative of the group.
Voice of Myanmar’s the editor-in-chief, Nay Myo Lin, was charged under-counter-terrorism law for publishing an interview with Arakan Army rebel which led to his detention and could face a life-term in prison, Reuters news agency has reported.
A court in Myanmar’s Mandalay city has charged Nay Myo Lin, under sections of the Terrorism Act on Tuesday and has blocked his website and others reporting on the conflict in the troubled western Rakhine state.
The decision of the court came after Myanmar declared the Arakan Army as a terrorist organization.
The charges can carry a life sentence, Lin’s lawyer, confirmed to Reuters, but did not provide any more details.
The journalist’s wife, Zarni Mann, also confirmed to Reuters that her husband had been charged.
Following the Mandalay court’s decision, Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), called the decision ‘outrageous and unacceptable’ violation of media freedom in Myanmar.
He called upon the government to drop the ‘ridiculous charges’ on Lin and urged to allow journalists to do their jobs in Rakhine without interference.
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