The amnesty granted to two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists imprisoned in Myanmar was good news and a tribute both to their courage and to the many journalists, national leaders and human rights organizations that had campaigned for their freedom. The evidence the reporters gathered, subsequently published by Reuters, was indisputable and acknowledged even by Myanmar authorities. The reporters were both sentenced to seven years in prison, and the penalty was confirmed by the Supreme Court only last month. The government has insisted that its campaign against the Rohingya was precipitated by attacks on Myanmar security forces by Rohingya militants. A United Nations fact-finding mission declared in August 2018 that the atrocities “undoubtedly amount to the gravest crimes under international law.”

Source: International New York Times May 07, 2019 23:48 UTC