Editors Guild condemns jailing of journalists in Myanmar

The Editors Guild of India Monday condemned the jailing of two journalists of an international news agency in Myanmar and demanded their immediate release.

Two Reuters journalists - Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, - accused of breaching Myanmar's state secrets law while reporting on alleged killings of Rohingya Muslims were jailed for seven years by a court in the country, fuelling international outrage.

The Editors Guild, in a statement, said it was opposed to the use of provisions under the Official Secrets Act in any country to "throttle the voice of the media".

"The Guild believes that the arrest and imprisonment of journalists are a big blow to democracy and demands their release from jail at the earliest," the statement said.