Update on on Journalism Journalism and and Media Media in in Myanmar Myanmar Update July--September September2023 2023 July Highlights Three journalists were arrested and one photojournalist was convicted under Myanmar’s military regime during July to September 2023. This photojournalist, who works for Myanmar Now, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted under four charges in September. This is the longest combined prison term handed down to a journalist since the military coup of February 2021. The conviction of another individual, The Irrawaddy’s news publisher, is included in this quarter’s update, but he was sentenced at the end of June. During this quarter, there were reports of attacks on two other news persons - a reporter and a former journalist – in northern Kachin state, where insecurity has been running high amid the escalation of decades-long conflict between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic organisations. The motives behind these two attacks are unknown. The reporter sustained injuries after the motorcycle he was riding on was hit by a car, while the former journalist died from gunshots fired at him while he was on his motorbike. One former editor, in detention since April, was released in July. As of end-September 2023, 59 journalists remained behind bars. Since January 2023, a total of eight journalists have been arrested and six journalists have been convicted. The majority of the convictions continue to be under Section 505A of the Myanmar Penal Code, which penalises incitement against government and security forces, causing fear among the public and spreading false news. Journalists continue to work in dangerous situations in Myanmar’s continuing conflict, where they face challenges in physical and digital safety, gathering news, and economic security. In Rakhine, there are fresh signs that the space for news work is shrinking further in a region whose media community faced restrictions even before the coup. In the third quarter of 2023, journalists, along with civil society and other activists, were the subject of tighter security checks, more frequent random checks and a stepped-up hunt for them after the Rakhine regional authorities circulated a list of individuals wanted for a mix of security-related crimes.