April 15, 2021- Myo Myat Myat Pan, an ex-employee of Myitkyina News Journal, was abducted by police authorities on April 14. The journalist was reportedly arrested on orders from the military council. According to Myitkyina News, the plainclothes police officers took the civilians away in cars around 6 p.m. Her whereabouts remain unknown after her arrest. CFWIJ condemns the abduction of Myo Myat Myat Pan. Despite Myo Myat Myat Pan no longer pursuing journalism, the authorities detained her anyway. We demand Myanmar Junta authorities release Myo Myat Myat Pan immediately.
Myo Myat Myat Pan stopped working as a reporter on March 1. According to information available on Twitter, three journalists were abducted by plainclothes military police. Ah Je and Christopher are two other journalists arrested along with Myo Myat Myat Pan. Since the abductions from their home in Sitapur, the families of these journalists have no information about their whereabouts. Freelance journalist Kyaw Hsan Hlaing shared the news of Myo Myat Myat Pan’s abduction on Twitter.
The co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, Ro Nay San Lwin, also shared the news on Twitter stating, “Ma Myo Myat Myat Pan, a former reporter of the Myitkyina News Journal, was abducted by Terrorists (#Myanmar security forces) in plainclothes at 6:30 pm.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has covered the unfolding situation in Myanmar since the recent coup of February 1. We have interviewed women journalists to learn the current situation in Myanmar and followed the cases of abducted women journalists. CFWIJ is highly concerned about the human rights violations in Myanmar and the unjustified persecution and torture against women journalists. We demand that the global community unite efforts with human rights organizations to denounce the declining situation of law and order in Myanmar.
