In a recent and distressing development, the Myanmar junta sentenced Myanmar Now's photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike to a staggering 20 years in prison, marking it the harshest known punishment for a media professional since the coup that took place in 2021.
Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested in western Rakhine state while he was reporting for Myanmar Now on the fallout from Cyclone Mocha on May 23 and he faced four charges, including breaching a natural disaster law and a telecommunications law. On September 6, 2023, a court inside Yangon's Insein Prison jailed him for 20 years, the longest-known prison term for a media professional since the 2021 coup. Myanmar Now has indicated that the charges for which Sai Zaw Thaike has been convicted remain unclear. He had been detained without access to a lawyer or family visits in advance of the trial.
Freedom of speech is critical to free and fair elections. The Myanmar military has perpetrated a regime to crush free speech. This has included a growing list of humanitarian crimes against journalists and media outlets reporting in and on behalf of the country. In addition to Sai Zaw Thaike, thousands of individuals have been incarcerated for their opposition to the coup. Independent media outlets, like Myanmar Now, had their licenses revoked shortly after the military staged a coup.
We at Myanmar Election Watch have kept a living page detailing those crimes against journalists and media outlets, which is updated regularly.