The potential threat of future imprisonment may also have served the purpose of encouraging self-censorship. Journalists were often uncertain about whether charges were withdrawn when they were released, or whether they were released under investigation and could be re-detained in future. The military reportedly warned some journalists that their charges would be revived if they criticized the military or supported the opposition. Some journalists were made to sign agreements promising not to continue working as a journalist as a condition of their release. The military did re-detain some previously released journalists (5%) and in February 2025 was still seeking to re-detain others who had evaded re-capture. EARLY RELEASE Over half of the 88 journalists convicted after the coup began had already been released by the end of the period under review (56%). All were let out early, serving only part of their sentences. For example, on average, journalists serving two-year sentences were released after 14 months, while journalists serving three-year sentences were released after 15 months.45 However, each journalist released early had still served an average of 486 days in prison. The military may have considered this a sufficiently long deprivation of liberty to ensure future self-censorship. It is unclear whether decisions to release were centralized. There was no clear link between early releases and journalists’ backgrounds or where they worked. The following table shows that most of the convicted journalists who were released early were serving comparatively short prison sentences. For example, all of the journalists serving two-year sentences were released (100%), while most of the journalists serving two- to three-year sentences were released (83%). Most journalists serving long sentences were still in prison, perhaps as symbols of the military’s willingness to crush dissent with extreme prejudice.46 Release Rates by Sentence (Percentage Released as of Feb. 2025) 100% 83% 7% 10% Up to 18 months 2 to 3 years 4-9 years 10-20 years 45 The release dates of journalists still serving their sentences could not increase this average to a full sentence. 46 A minority of journalists serving longer prison sentences had been released (17%), including one journalist who had previously been sentenced to 11 years. The journalist who was released from an 11-year sentence had served six months. Assessing Detentions of Journalists in Myanmar, Feb. 2021 to Feb. 2025 16