YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A video of Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw’s arrest while photographing Myanmar security forces accused of anti-coup protesters shows him being quickly surrounded and held in a stranglehold while wearing handcuffs .
Authorities have accused Thein Zaw and five other members of the media of violating a public policy law that could land them up to three years in prison.
The video begins with Thein Zaw standing by the side of a road on Saturday, photographing dozens of security forces as they run towards a group of protesters in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.
Several police officers run towards him and he tries to escape. At least seven surround him as he is placed in a stranglehold. He is pushed and pushed and quickly handcuffed. A police officer with a megaphone uses the handcuffs to pull him away.
Many of the police officers carry batons, while some have guns and automatic weapons.
“The Associated Press is calling for the immediate release of AP journalist Thein Zaw, who has been charged with a crime in Myanmar for simply doing his job,” Ian Phillips, AP’s vice president for international news, said Wednesday. Independent journalists must be able to report the news freely and securely without fear of retaliation. AP condemns the charges against Thein Zaw and his arbitrary detention. “
The army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup. Protesters have demonstrated peacefully against the coup, even though security forces have escalated their actions dramatically. At least 33 protesters were killed on Wednesday in several cities, according to social media accounts and local news reports compiled by a data analyst.
Authorities have also arrested people en masse.
Lawyer Tin Zar Oo, who represents Thein Zaw, said his client was one of six journalists charged under a law that punishes anyone who spreads fear among the public, knowingly spreads false news or directly or indirectly agitates for a crime against a government employee. The law was amended by the junta last month to broaden its scope and increase the maximum term of imprisonment from two years.
The group consists of journalists who work for Myanmar Now, Myanmar Photo Agency, 7Day News, Zee Kwet online news and a freelancer.
Rights and press freedom groups have demanded the release of the journalists, and the Asia Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association joined those calls on Wednesday.
“AAJA-Asia fully supports Burmese journalists and urges all Myanmar authorities to maintain freedom of the press and allow the media to report on the news without fear of reprisals,” the group said in a press release. “We call for an immediate end to violence, censorship and persecution.”
Thein Zaw, 32, is reportedly being held in Insein Prison in northern Yangon, notorious for housing political prisoners under previous military regimes.
According to the lawyer, Thein Zaw has been remanded by a court and can be held until March 12 without another hearing or further action.
In December 2017, two journalists working for Reuters news agency were arrested while working on a story about Myanmar’s Rohingya minority. They were charged with illegally possessing official documents even though they claimed they had been charged with officially opposing their reporting.
Although their case drew international attention, they were convicted the following year and sentenced to seven years behind bars. They were released in 2019 in a massive presidential pardon.