US joins in outcry against Myanmar's jailing of 2 reporters

The United States on Monday condemned the jailing in Myanmar of two Reuters journalists who had reported on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims in that country, calling it "deeply troubling" and urging the men's immediate release.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were sentenced Monday to seven years in jail on charges of violating the Official Secrets Act, a draconian British colonial-era law which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.

The case has drawn international condemnation as an attempt by Myanmar authorities to muzzle reporting on last year's crackdown by security forces on the Rohingya minority.

A statement from the US embassy in Yangon said the case raises "serious concerns about rule of law and judicial independence in Myanmar, and the reporters' conviction is a major setback to the government of Myanmar's stated goal of expanding democratic freedoms."