Myanmar military sentences journalist to additional 10 years in prison

Hmu Yadanar Khet Moh Moh Tun, a Burmese journalist who was jailed in Myanmar in 2021, was sentenced to an additional ten years’ imprisonment on May 26.

Moh Moh Tun was sentenced under a terror financing charge filed by the Tamwe Township police station in September 2022. Her lawyer has indicated that she does not intend to appeal the decision.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN) has condemned the illegal sentencing of Moh Moh Tun. IFJ and MJN has urged the Myanmar junta to immediately and unconditionally release her and other journalists in detention.

Moh Moh Tun was first detained in December 2021 alongside her colleague and photographer Kaung Sett Lin. The two were arrested for reporting at an anti-military protest in Yangon.

During the peaceful demonstration, an army vehicle drove through the mass of protestors. Several people were injured, including Moh Moh Tun who sustained severe injuries to her head and leg. Several others were fatally shot by soldiers.

The journalist’s family has expressed serious concern for her welfare. According to her family, she still suffers permanent mobility issues due to her injuries.

Still, Moh Moh Tun was handed a three-year sentence in December 2022. With the additional ten year sentence, she stands to spend 13 years in prison.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, as of May 30, at least 18,417 people were in detention in Myanmar. 6,106 of whom are serving sentences. At least 176 journalists have been arrested and four journalists have been killed since the military coup on February 1, 2021. 47 of whom are still in jail or police detention.

According to the IFJ’s annual Killed List for 2022, Myanmar is now the world’s second-highest jailer of journalists behind China.

Source: mid-day.com

About Miabell Mallikka

Miabell Mallikka is a journalist working with ScandAsia at the headquarters in Bangkok.

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