His colleagues are in prison

Demand Justice for These Journalists Sign the Petition › Dear friends, This month, we have been focusing on press freedom and the two Reutersjournalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were jailed for independently reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Lawi Weng, a fellow journalist and colleague of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, recently shared with Amnesty his fears on what their detention means for journalists in Myanmar, saying, "the government and the Army should not view journalists as enemies of the state. Journalists are part of the democracy and human rights which is necessary for the country's reform." Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been in jail for five months now, separated from their families, including Wa Lone’s pregnant wife; however, thousands of supporters like you have made calls and sent emails on behalf of them to the Embassy of Myanmar in Washington, DC. We received news last week that the Embassy is hearing us — take action now to call out the injustice against Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. There has been an erosion of the space for a free press in Myanmar, where journalists and other media workers face ongoing restrictions in connection with their work. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s arrest appears to be aimed at preventing them, as well as other journalists, from independently reporting on the Rohingya crisis. We have sent almost 30,000 emails to the Myanmar Embassy in Washington, DC. Will you help us reach our goal of 40,000 signatures now? Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been in jail for five months and are facing up to fourteen years in prison for reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. "Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are not criminals; they do not belong in jail. Some people say they are traitors for telling the story of the Rohingya — but I think they are heroes for doing their job, reporting the news about terrible events." — Lawi Weng This jailing of two journalists for five months is a violation of human rights and must stop: ask the government of Myanmar to release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo now. Thank you for taking action. TAKE ACTION Margaret Huang Executive Director Amnesty International USA © 2017 Amnesty International USA 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 1-800-AMNESTY