PRESS FREEDOM

Detained Reuters Journalist in Burma Deprived of Sleep During Interrogation

Kyaw Soe Oo also said he was questioned for three days straight and forced to kneel for hours in handcuffs.

A Reuters reporter who has been detained for 225 days in Burma described how officials “deprived of sleep and forced to kneel for hours” during his trial on Tuesday. Reuters reports that Kyaw Soe Oo is accused of “obtaining state secrets” after he and his partner Wa Lone were arrested while working on a story about 10 Rohingya Muslims who were allegedly murdered by soldiers. He described being forced to wear a black hood and handcuffs, enduring three days of questioning while kneeling, and being denied sleep while in custody. Kyaw Soe Oo also said he was denied access to lawyers and his family while being questioned for two weeks by “military intelligence and police special branch.” He and Wa Lone have pleaded not guilty, claiming the incriminating documents found among their things were “planted on them by a police officer.” If convicted, they could face up to 14 years in prison.