Myanmar authorities should immediately drop criminal defamation and other complaints against four ethnic-Rakhine (Arakanese) journalists, Fortify Rights said in a statement.

Last week, on January 22, Myanmar authorities filed criminal defamation complaints against Development Media Group (DMG) journalists Hnin Nwe, 23, and Nay Win San, 26, for publishing a story alleging the military confiscated rice and used forced labour in Rakhine State.
 
Two other DMG staff members—journalist Aung Kyaw Min, 40, and founder of DMG Aung Marm Oo, 40—are also currently facing criminal charges brought against them by Myanmar authorities in December 2020 and May 2019, respectively.

The Sittwe-based DMG is an ethnic-Rakhine-led media outlet reporting on human rights violations and other news in Rakhine State and other parts of the country.