Judge rejects dismissal of case against two Reuters journalists in Myanmar
Yangon — On Wednesday, a judge rejected a request for dismissal of a case against two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar after being accused of possessing secret government papers. A court in Yangon has been holding preliminary hearings since January to decide whether Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo will be charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Judge Ye Lwin said there was "a proper reason" for the accusations against the two reporters and therefore "they should not be released." The judge said it wasn’t yet time for the motion to dismiss because he wanted to hear the eight remaining prosecution witnesses out of the 25 listed, according to the reporters’ defence lawyer Khin Maung Zaw. In a statement, Reuters president and editor-in-chief Stephen J Adler said: "We are deeply disappointed with the court’s decision." He added: "We believe there are solid grounds for the court to dismiss this matter and to release our journa...
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