Myanmar: Award winning journalist Thaung Tun released under amnesty after 6 years in prison.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Myanmar: Award winning journalist Thaung Tun released under amnesty after 6 years in prison.


According to PEN’s information, on 3 January 2007, the military authorities announced that nearly 3,000 prisoners had been granted pardons and released from prison. Among those released was PEN main case Thaung Tun. Thaung Tun, pen name Nyein Thit, an editor, reporter and poet, was sentenced to eight years in prison in October 1999 for taking part in the production of unauthorised video documentaries showing forced labour and impoverished conditions in rural areas. The report documented the harsh realities of life in Burma under military rule. Thaung Tun’s cameraman Aung Pwint, who was also sentenced to eight years in prison in 1999, was released in July 2005. At least nine writers remain detained in Myanmar, serving sentences ranging from seven to twenty-one years in prison.

READ MORE http://www.internationalpen.org.uk:80/index.php?pid=33&aid=531&return=33

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