DOWNWARD SPIRAL

U.N. Chief Condemns Arrest of Reuters Journalists in Myanmar

“It is clearly a concern in relation to the erosion of press freedom in the country.”

Two Reuters journalists were arrested in Yangon this week, in a signal that press freedom is at risk in Myanmar, according to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres expressed fear over the “dramatic violations of human rights” that have taken place during a military crackdown in Rakhine state that has so far forced upward of 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. Guterres, who was speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, said the journalists’ arrests were likely related as Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were both working on stories about the problems in Rakhine state. “Probably the reason why these journalists were arrested is because they were reporting on what they have seen in relation to this massive human tragedy,” Guterres said. “It is clearly a concern in relation to the erosion of press freedom in the country,” Guterres said.