Myanmar: Two journalists killed in junta raid

Two freelance journalists associated with the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Ko Htet Myat Thu and Ko Win Htut Oo, were killed as a result of a home raid by the military junta on August 21 in the southern Mon state. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and its affiliate Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN), strongly condemn the brutal killings and call on the military junta to conduct an immediate and legitimate investigation to hold those responsible to account.

Myanmar junta military soldiers parade during a ceremony to mark the country's Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw on March 27, 2024. Credit: AFP

On August 21, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) freelance reporter Ko Win Htut Oo and freelance journalist Ko Htut Myat Thu were shot and killed following a home raid by the security forces of Myanmar's ruling military junta in Mon state. According to media reports, junta forces stormed Htet Myat Thu's home village at approximately 9 a.m., allegedly conducted to target resistance fighters sheltered at the residence.

Speaking with the Associated Press, the head of the DVB's Citizen Journalist Network program said that over 20 troops stormed the residence, killing Win Htut Oo and another individual linked with the Kyaikto Revolution Force (KRF). Htet Myat Thu and another individual also linked with the KRF were allegedly later killed while in junta custody. In a statement, the DVB said that none of the four individuals killed were questioned prior to their killing, based on information obtained from local sources. Htut Myat Thu's grandmother, a woman in her 90s, sustained severe injuries as a result of the raid, while two other individuals managed to escape.

Pro-junta reports claimed that the KRF members fired upon the troops, resulting in the seizure of weapons from the residence. However, local residents disputed this account, asserting that no shooting occurred, that the KRF members were visiting in civilian clothes, and that no weapons were discovered at the scene. The bodies of the journalists were not returned to their respective families and were instead cremated.

Win Htut Oo began his career as a citizen journalist in 2022 before attaining a reporter position with the DVB, largely focused on developments in Mon state. Htet Myat Thu, a childhood friend of Htut Oo, was shot in the leg while participating in anti-coup protests in 2021. He was imprisoned in Kyaikto for over six months, after which he began working as a journalist.

Since the military junta seized power in 2021, Myanmar's media have faced arrests, attacks, and the killings of seven journalists amid escalating regional conflicts with rebel groups across the country. In February, DVB reporter and Western News contributor Myat Thu Tan was fatally shot by two military personnel in the western Rakhine state while in military custody, with local media reporting that the discovered bodies had exhibited signs of torture.

The MJN said: "The MJN strongly denounces the extrajudicial killings of two freelance journalists. One of them was shot and arrested while reporting on the anti-coup protests in March 2021."

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "The IFJ strongly condemns the deplorable extrajudicial killings of journalists Win Htut Oo and Htet Myat Thu by junta forces. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable, and the international community must not shy away from its responsibilities in standing against the junta's flagrant human rights abuses. This war crime must be investigated thoroughly, immediately, and legitimately."