Burmese journalist freed after 19 years
After 19 years in prison, a Burmese journalist who was also the longest-serving political prisoner in military-ruled
U Win Tin, former editor of the newspaper Hanthawathi and vice-president of the Burma Writers Association, was among several detainees who benefited from the amnesty.. The junta will release 9,002 detainees in preparation for the upcoming 2010 elections, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said, quoting the government-owned newspaper New Light of Myanmar.
RSF reported U Win Tin as saying: “I am going to continue practicing politics because I am a political man. I did not sign document 401, which would have forced me to give up that role. Starting today, I am going to continue supporting Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD). I will soon be 80, but I am not going to stop.” U Win Tin is also a founder of the NLD.
International media organization RSF and the Burma Media Association were elated with U Win Tin’s release.
“We worked together to defend U Win Tin’s innocence and we are immensely relieved that he has finally been freed,” RSF and the Burma Media Association said in a statement.
“It is unacceptable that he was made to serve 19 years in prison for peacefully advocating democracy but today his release is an historic moment. We hope other journalists and prisoners of conscience will also be freed and that U Win Tin will be able to resume his peaceful struggle for press freedom and democracy in
U Win Tin was imprisoned on July 4, 1989 for several charges including anti-government propaganda, RSF reported. Eight journalists are still in prison in
Additional links:
Joy at U Win Tin’s release after 19 years in prison
Burmese journalist U Win Tin released after 19 years in prison
Regime Frees Longest-serving Political Prisoner, Win Tin
World Association of Newspapers’ report on Burma
Comments are closed.