Myanmar concludes six-month pre-trial hearing

Reuters reporters case

Nay Pyi Taw, July 2: A Myanmar court on Monday concluded the pre-trial hearing in the case of two Reuters reporters accused of violating the Official Secrets Act while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingyas in Rakhine state. Prosecutors and defence lawyers presented their arguments before the judge, who will decide on July 9 whether the reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, should be charged, Efe news reported. After the conclusion of hearings that began in January, the detainees left the court handcuffed and surrounded by police before returning to prison, the report said.

The violation of the colonial-era Official Secrets Act carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years. The reporters were detained on December 12, 2017 after meeting two police officers who they say gave them some documents. The reporters were investigating the deaths of some 10 Rohingyas whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the village of Inn Din, for which seven Myanmar soldiers were later sentenced to 10 years in jail with hard labour. (IANS)