Updated May 6, 2019

Myanmar frees 2 Pulitzer-winning Reuters journalists from prison

Rebecca Falconer

Reuters journalists Wa Lone (L) and Kyaw Soe Oo gesture outside Insein prison after being freed in a presidential amnesty in Yangon on Tuesday local time. — Reuters journalists Wa Lone (L) and Kyaw Soe Oo. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Myanmar has freed 2 Pulitzer-winning Reuters journalists from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon after they'd spent more than 500 days behind bars, the news agency first reported.

Background: Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act in September and sentenced to 7 years in jail, in a case denounced by rights groups who said the pair were imprisoned for doing their jobs. They were arrested in December 2017 while investigating the deaths of 10 Rohingya Muslims.

I’m really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. I can’t wait to go to my newsroom."

— Wa Lone

The big picture: The journalists were freed Tuesday morning as part of a blanket presidential pardon for 6,520 prisoners, per AP.

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Myanmar frees 2 Pulitzer-winning Reuters journalists from prison

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