Updated May 7, 2019
Myanmar frees 2 Pulitzer-winning Reuters journalists from prison
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.