Geneva: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expresses serious concern over the imprisonment of fearless Burmese journalist-filmmaker Shin Daewe for live by the
ruling military junta of Myanmar (also known as Burma and Brahmadesh) and demands her immediate release along with other over 50 jailed scribes.
The award-winning documentary producer was sentenced for life imprisonment on January 10, 2024 by a military court inside Insein prison in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) on terrorism charges. Shin (50) was arrested by the Burmese soldiers from a bus terminal in Yangon on October 15, as she was shooting videos by a drone.
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Once worked as a video journalist for Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Shin covered various socio-political issues affecting the southeast Asian nation. Later she developed herself as a brave documentary filmmaker and many of her productions were honoured in international events. Her work titled “Now I’m 13”, which narrates the struggle of an illiterate but intelligent young girl in central rural Myanmar endeavouring for education, received appreciation from the art connoisseurs. Her husband alleged that she has been repeatedly tortured during interrogation by the junta forces.
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“It’s shocking that the military rulers have imprisoned a lady journalist- filmmaker with the allegation of abetting terrorism in the troubled country, which is undergoing a almost civil war since the junta orchestrated a coup on February 1, 2021 dethroning a democratically elected government under the leadership of Nobel laureate Aung Sah Suu Kyi. The junta (identified themselves as Military Council) must unconditionally release Shin Daewe along with other detained and imprisoned journalists,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC.
Days back, the Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) also denounced the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of journalists by the junta in the last three months. It confirmed that 52 journalists remain unjustly incarcerated by the military council till date.
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The IPCM asserted its commitment to expediting the release of detained journalists promptly and also safeguarding the rights of media outlets to express their news & views freely. The council also decided to collaborate with other organizations dedicated to the safety of media workers, exerting every possible effort to secure the freedom of journalists, and prevent the recurrence of such arrests.
PEC’s south & southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that since the last military coup, the junta forces arrested over 170 journalists and only 118 have been released.
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The poverty stricken country of around 55 million population has already lost four journalists namely Pu Tuidim (founder of Khonumthung news agency), Sai Win Aung (editor of Federal News Journal) along with Soe Naing and Aye Kaw (both were freelance photojournalists) to junta atrocities since the
coup day on different occasions.
(Nava Thakuria is a senior Indian journalist who contributes to various media outlets including print and digital platforms of India and across the world.)
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