Since the current government took office, the number of lawsuits against journalists has reached 36, and 52 journalists are facing trials. Most of cases are charges filed by the civil servants, according to the statement issued by the Athan group on June 15.
The cases cover 20 charges by the civil servants, six by the Tatmadaw and 10 by others.
The telecom law is mostly used in the charges against the journalists. The Unlawful Association Act, the Myanmar State Secret Acts, Section 500 and 505 (b) of the Penal Code, the Media Law, the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, the Civil Aviation Law, Export-Import Law and the Immigration Law, are usually used as a tool to charge the media.
Every year, the RSF monitors and releases the press freedom index around the world.
“The media freedom is not a first priority for Myanmar government even though the journalists expect that they will not be arrested and jailed for criticizing the government and the Tatmadaw, under the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after the NLD won the election in 2015," the RSF says.
According to the statement by the France-based RSF on April 18, this year, Myanmar’s press freedom index was ranked 138 out of 180 countries. Myanmar’s ranking promoted to 131 in 2017 from 143 in 2016.
In Asean countries, the East Timor stands at 84, Malaysia, at 123, Indonesia, at 124, the Philippines, 134, Thailand, 136, Cambodia, 143, Singapore, 151, Brunei, 152, Laos, 171 and Vietnam, 176.
