Reuters: The verdict in Myanmar’s prosecution of two Reuters reporters accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act was postponed on Monday until Sept. 3 because the judge overseeing the case is sick, a court official said.
Scores of reporters and diplomats had gathered at the Yangon court to hear the verdict on journalists Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, the culmination of eight months of hearings in a landmark case that has come to be seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country.
“We are disappointed not to have received the judge’s decision today,” Reuters said in a statement.
“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have already spent more than eight months in prison based on allegations of a crime they did not commit. We look forward to receiving the verdict next week, when we very much hope that they will be acquitted and reunited with their families.”
Government spokesman Zaw Htay could not be immediately reached for comment on the postponement of the verdict.
The climax of the case comes amid building pressure on the administration of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over a security crackdown in the western state of Rakhine that was sparked by militant attacks in August 2017.
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