Arakan Army detains Rakhine journalist, sparking calls for release

A journalist in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has been held for four days of interrogation by the Arakan Army (AA), prompting her family to call for her immediate release, relatives said. On September 20 around 11am, Arakan Army intelligence troops detained 31-year-old journalist Mu Dra of the Rakhine-based Border News Agency (BNA) from her home in Maungdaw. She was told she was being taken in for questioning and has not been released since, raising significant concerns.BNA Editor-in-Chief Kaung Mrat Naing said her continued detention has raised serious worries for her safety."They didn't say they were arresting her. They said they were just going to question her, but then they took her away,” Kaung Mrat Naing told Myanmar Now.“Yesterday, her father got to see her. But he wasn't allowed to speak with her.” Kaung Mrat Naing noted that the reason for her detention remains unclear. Mu Dra’s most recent work for the agency was a September 9 video report about educational challenges faced by Mro ethnic children. In a statement released on Monday, BNA urged officials to resolve any misunderstandings over the case “with broad-mindedness and a forward-looking approach,” and called for Mu Dra’s release on humanitarian grounds, citing her family’s concerns and respect for international law. When Myanmar Now contacted AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha, he said he didn’t have sufficient information to respond in full. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also announced on September 23 that the AA should release Mu Dra and allow all journalists in Rakhine State to work freely facing repression.CPJ said Mu Dra has covered human rights issues and conflict in Rakhine State, as well as daily news on illegal recruitment and violence.“All combatants in Myanmar’s civil war have a responsibility to protect and not target journalists in retaliation for their news reporting,” CPJ's Senior Southeast Asia Representative, Shawn Crispin said. Since the 2021 military coup, journalists in Rakhine State have faced escalating repression. In 2022, the junta charged Narinjara News Agency under Penal Code Section 505(a) and the Telecommunications Act’s Section 66(d), bringing another 66(d) charge this March.In January that year, a junta major charged Western News’s editor-in-chief and a reporter with high treason under Section 124(a) at the Sittwe Township Court. Later, on October 29, 2023, Development Media Group reporter Htet Aung was arrested while covering a Buddhist alms-offering ceremony at Wingaba Ground in Sittwe, the Rakhine State capital. Journalists in Myanmar face systematic targeting, including arrests, detention without charge, and legal harassment under broad, often politicized laws. One high-profile case is Myanmar Now photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike, who was arrested in 2023 while covering Cyclone Mocha. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison, reportedly without basic legal protections, making his case emblematic of the harsh risks independent reporters face.According to CPJ's records up to 2023, Myanmar is the second-highest country globally for journalist arrests, with at least 43 journalists detained by the junta since the military coup, most of whom have been charged under Counter-Terrorism Law.

Arakan Army detains Rakhine journalist, sparking calls for release

Border News Agency reporter Mu Dra has been held without explanation since September 20, raising alarm from her family, colleagues, and press freedom advocates

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