YANGON (Reuters) - A court in Myanmar on Monday charged two jailed Reuters journalists with obtaining secret state documents, moving the landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of preliminary hearings.
Yangon district judge Ye Lwin charged reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, with breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
Both journalists pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, telling the judge they had “followed journalistic ethics.”
Speaking to reporters after the ruling, Wa Lone said he and Kyaw Soe Oo had committed no crime and would testify to their innocence in court.
“Although we are charged, we are not guilty,” he said, in handcuffs, as officials ushered him into a police truck. “We will not retreat, give up or be shaken by this.”
The United States has told Sri Lanka that the disposition of the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr and its crew is a matter for Colombo to resolve under its own laws and international obligations, while signalling it is in active talks with Sri Lanka to contain Iran’s threat to US interests.
The government today granted permission for an Iranian warship with 208 on board to enter the country.
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