Breaking: Myanmar frees Reuters journalists who reported on Rohingya crackdown
Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act have walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon after spending more than 500 days behind bars, witnesses said.
The two reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail, in a case that raised questions about Myanmar's progress toward democracy. Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo, left, and Wa Lone, are handcuffed as they are escorted by police out of a court in Yangon, Myanmar, last year.They were convicted after reporting on the military's brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates.
The country was due to release 6520 prisoners after President Win Myint pardoned thousands of prisoners in two mass amnesties last month.It is customary in Myanmar for authorities to free prisoners around the time of the traditional New Year, which began on April 17.
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