A court in Yangon - formerly Rangoon - has been holding preliminary hearings to decide whether Wa Lone (31) and Kyaw Soe Oo (28) will be charged under the Officials Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The journalists had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men in western Burma's Rakhine state during an army crackdown that began in August, which has sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh. "Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are being prosecuted simply because they reported the news. I have reviewed the case file and it is clear beyond doubt that the two journalists are innocent and should be released immediately," said Ms Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer who is married to Hollywood superstar George Clooney.

Source: Irish Independent March 30, 2018 01:30 UTC