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Reuters journalists facing 14 years in Myanmar prison denied bail

Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by Myanmar police outside the northern district court in Yangon
Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by Myanmar police outside the northern district court in Yangon. Photo: Aung Kyaw Htet / AFP / Getty Images

Two Reuters journalists, who are being held in Myanmar on charges that date back to a 1923 law, were denied bail on Thursday, Voice of America reports.

The backdrop: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested while covering the brutal Rohingya crisis, and accused of breaking Myanmar's Colonial-era Official Secrets Act. They are facing a maximum sentence of 14 years.

Reuters president and editor-in-chief, Stephen Adler said in a statement: "We believe the court proceedings will demonstrate their innocence and Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo will be able to return to their jobs reporting on events in Myanmar."

Go deeper: The AP confirmed 5 newly discovered mass graves in Myanmar.

Myanmar