Soldiers arrest Mandalay Free Press video editor during raid on father’s home

Soldiers on Sunday arrested a part-time video editor working for the Mandalay Free Press news outlet during a raid on his father’s home in Sagaing’s Kanbalu Township, a friend of the journalist’s family has told Myanmar Now. 

Aung Zaw Zaw is being held at the Kanbalu central police station after he was taken from the house in Tauk Ka Shat village at around 8pm, the family friend said. 

“I think he was arrested because the soldiers didn’t like what they found on his laptop and mobile phone. He was just helping edit the videos of the news department,” said the aforementioned source. “Or it could be because his father was an administrator and had haters.”

Editors from Mandalay Free Press called for their colleague’s release in a statement this week.

“Aung Zaw Zaw is just a young man who is studying video editing,” the statement said. “He was just helping the news department as a part-timer and he has not committed any crime.”  

Early this month a court sentenced two Sagaing-based journalists from the Zayar Times to two years in prison for incitement after the outlet reported on the aftermath of the coup. 

“The loss of freedom of press has become very apparent now and the country is now in the dark,” said a journalist from upper Myanmar who is in hiding to avoid arrest. 

On Tuesday evening soldiers in southeastern Myanmar arrested Moe Myint and Ko Zaw, two journalists working for Dawei Watch at their homes after the outlet reported on the local civilian death toll from the junta’s crackdowns on descent.  

Around 50 journalists are estimated to be in junta detention.