Editors Guild and activists slam imprisonment of 2 scribes in Myanmar

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Monday said the arrest and imprisonment of two Reuters journalists was a "big blow to democracy" and demanded their release at the earliest.

The Editors' body issued the statement after a Myanmar court on Monday sentenced the two journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, to seven years in prison after pronouncing them guilty of having breached the country's Official Secrets Act.

"The arrest and imprisonment of two Reuters journalists is a big blow to democracy. The two journalists were investigating the death of 10 Rohingya Muslims," said the Editor's body in a statement.

Expressing anguish over the arrests, the EGI said that it opposed the use of provisions under the Official Secrets Act in any country to throttle the voice of the media.