ozens of journalists staged a protest on Friday to show solidarity and demand the release of two Reuters journalists imprisoned by Myanmar’s government.
The rally, initiated by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and Freelance Journalist Forum, was staged in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta.
The protestors carried a banner that read, “Free Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, journalism is not a crime, defend press freedom!” Some of them had their hands tied and mouths covered as a symbol of muted press freedom.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are two Reuter journalists that have been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for allegedly breaching Myanmar's state secrets law during their reporting of a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.
"We hope this movement inspires other journalists around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia, to urge the release of our friends in Myanmar," said the rally’s coordinator, Fira Abdurahman.
She emphasized that the Reuters journalists were doing their job and had not committed a crime.
Previously, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she had contacted the Myanmar government in relation to the imprisonment of the journalists. Retno said she had reiterated Indonesia's position on the issue and urged Myanmar to implement the repatriation soon.
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