Four years after the military seized power and ousted the democratically elected government in Myanmar, The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong continues to be alarmed and deeply concerned at the deteriorating conditions for journalists and media workers there.
Since February 2021, the military junta has cracked down on Myanmar’s media in an effort to silence any reporting critical of the junta and its actions. Regime authorities have revoked the operating licenses of independent news outlets, banned the use of satellite dishes and instituted a series of partial and complete internet shutdowns.
Individual journalists have also been harassed, detained, tortured and sentenced to jail terms. According to the Independent Press Council Myanmar, as of 25 January 2025, 43 journalists/media workers are still imprisoned. All were taken into custody on anti-state allegations and many were denied legal representation.
The FCC reiterates its condemnation of the targeting, threatening, detention, torturing and killing of journalists and media workers. We call on the Myanmar military regime to cease violence, release all those unjustly detained, and to uphold freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information.
Journalism is not a crime, and media workers should be allowed to carry out their work without fear of threats to their safety and well being.