Myanmar on Tuesday released two Reuters journalists who had been jailed for over 500 days for allegedly breaking the country's Official Secrets Act. The duo were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in April for their work.
The plight of Wa Lone (33) and Kyaw Soe Oo (29) had attracted global attention as human rights activists and leaders, such as the UN secretary general, appealed for their release.
Lone and Soe Oo were arrested in December 2017 in Yangon when they were investigating the massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslim males in Rakhine state. Their defence team argued the Reuters reporters were jailed in a "pre-planned and staged" attempt to silence their reporting.
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Even police officers who were prosecution witnesses claimed to have tampered with evidence in the case. However, Lone and Soe Oo were convicted in September 2018. Lone and Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in jail. The case had raised concerns about Myanmar's fragile transition towards democracy.
Appeals against the convictions of the Reuters journalists were rejected by the Myanmar High Court in January and the Supreme Court in April.
Lone and Soe Oo were released under an amnesty initiative by President Win Myint as part of the traditional new year celebration in Myanmar.
