Lawyers lodged an appeal Monday to free two <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/reuters-reporters-imprisonment-when-myanmars-progress-towards-democracy-was-put-to-question-185665">Reuters journalists</a> jailed for their reporting on Myanmar's Rohingya crisis, decrying the sentence as a "mistake" that has already resulted in the pair being locked up for a year.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested in December 2017 and later sentenced to seven-year prison terms for what prosecutors said was a breach of official secrets law for the possession of classified material on security operations.

Reuters disputed the charge and said the two were set up by police after probing the massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims during a military crackdown.

Their conviction in September sparked widespread global condemnation, including from US Vice President Mike Pence, who asked civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene.

But calls for their release have fallen flat inside Myanmar, where Suu Kyi has yet to speak up for the reporters publicly.

Their trial was criticised by rights groups as a sham and payback for uncovering the September 2017 massacre in Inn Din village in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

During the trial a whistle-blowing policeman told the court his superior ordered a sting to entrap the reporters.

On Monday lawyers for the pair submitted an appeal to the High Court.

"This seven-year jail sentence is a mistake," the journalists' lawyer L.Khun Ring Pan told the bench, in a hearing attended by embassy officials and free media advocates as well as the wives of the jailed journalists.

"They were trying to find out who was involved with the (Inn Din) case. That's why they tried to meet the police... they did not ask for anything secret."

'We hope for fairness'&nbsp;

More than 720,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state to Bangladesh since the military's crackdown last August, bringing accounts of rape, arson and mass killings.

UN investigators have said the evidence warrants charges of genocide against the country's top generals, but the army maintains it was defending itself against Rohingya militants.

"We hope for fairness. We want them to be free," Wa Lone's wife Pan Ei Mon told AFP while a second lawyer Than Zaw Aung said "we hope to hear good news" when the appeal judge rules over coming days.

Media advocates say the journalists' convictions under the British colonial-era official secrets law aimed to muzzle media investigating allegations of atrocities in Rakhine and other sensitive issues in Myanmar as it emerges from decades of junta rule.

"This is unacceptable for a country that claims to be transitioning towards democracy," Daniel Bastard from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP.

Myanmar dropped six places in RSF's latest World Press Freedom Index.

Outside the country, the two young men have been feted with awards presented in their absence and hailed as heroes.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were also jointly named Time Magazine's Person of the Year this month, alongside other persecuted and slain journalists, as concerns grow for deteriorating press freedoms around the world.&nbsp;

The anniversary of their arrest was marked by newsrooms publishing photos of their staff flashing two thumbs up, a defiant gesture Wa Lone made at court that became synonymous with the duo's resilience.

Lawyers lodged an appeal Monday to free two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on Myanmar's Rohingya crisis, decrying the sentence as a "mistake" that has already resulted in the pair being locked up for a year.

Lawyers lodged an appeal Monday to free two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on Myanmar's Rohingya crisis, decrying the sentence as a "mistake" that has already resulted in the pair being locked up for a year. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested in December 2017 and later sentenced to seven-year prison terms for what prosecutors said was a breach of official secrets law for the possession of classified material on security operations. Reuters disputed the charge and said the two were set up by police after probing the massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims during a military crackdown. Their conviction in September sparked widespread global condemnation, including from US Vice President Mike Pence, who asked civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene. But calls for their release have fallen flat inside Myanmar, where Suu Kyi has yet to speak up for the reporters publicly. Their trial was criticised by rights groups as a sham and payback for uncovering the September 2017 massacre in Inn Din village in Myanmar's Rakhine state. During the trial a whistle-blowing policeman told the court his superior ordered a sting to entrap the reporters. On Monday lawyers for the pair submitted an appeal to the High Court. "This seven-year jail sentence is a mistake," the journalists' lawyer L.Khun Ring Pan told the bench, in a hearing attended by embassy officials and free media advocates as well as the wives of the jailed journalists. "They were trying to find out who was involved with the (Inn Din) case. That's why they tried to meet the police... they did not ask for anything secret." 'We hope for fairness' More than 720,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state to Bangladesh since the military's crackdown last August, bringing accounts of rape, arson and mass killings. UN investigators have said the evidence warrants charges of genocide against the country's top generals, but the army maintains it was defending itself against Rohingya militants. "We hope for fairness. We want them to be free," Wa Lone's wife Pan Ei Mon told AFP while a second lawyer Than Zaw Aung said "we hope to hear good news" when the appeal judge rules over coming days. Media advocates say the journalists' convictions under the British colonial-era official secrets law aimed to muzzle media investigating allegations of atrocities in Rakhine and other sensitive issues in Myanmar as it emerges from decades of junta rule. "This is unacceptable for a country that claims to be transitioning towards democracy," Daniel Bastard from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP. Myanmar dropped six places in RSF's latest World Press Freedom Index. Outside the country, the two young men have been feted with awards presented in their absence and hailed as heroes. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were also jointly named Time Magazine's Person of the Year this month, alongside other persecuted and slain journalists, as concerns grow for deteriorating press freedoms around the world. The anniversary of their arrest was marked by newsrooms publishing photos of their staff flashing two thumbs up, a defiant gesture Wa Lone made at court that became synonymous with the duo's resilience.

Myanmar Reuters journalists appeal seven-year sentence

Myanmar's army chief said the United Nations had no right to interfere in the sovereignty of the country a week after a UN probe called for him and other top generals to be prosecuted for "genocide" against the Rohingya minority.

The defiant response is the army chief's first public reaction since a UN fact-finding mission urged the Security Council to refer Myanmar's top military brass to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

No country, organisation or group has the "right to interfere in and make decisions over sovereignty of a country," Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told troops in a speech Sunday, according to the military-run newspaper Myawady.

"Talks to meddle in internal affairs (cause) misunderstanding."&nbsp;

UN investigators went into horrific detail about the atrocities allegedly committed by army troops last year in their"clearance operations" against the Rohingya, which forced more than 700,000 of the stateless Muslims to flee over the border into Bangladesh.

Troops, often aided by ethnic Rakhine mobs, committed murder, rape, arson and torture, employing unfathomable levels of violence and with a total disregard for human life, they concluded.

The military has denied nearly all wrongdoing, justifying its crackdown as a legitimate means of rooting out Rohingya militants.

Myanmar's civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had already rejected the report's finding as "one-sided" and "flawed" and dismissed a separate decision at the criminal court that found it had jurisdiction over the crisis.

Suu Kyi's civilian government shares power with the still mighty army, which has retained control over a quarter of parliamentary seats and three key ministries since the nation emerged from direct junta-rule in 2011.

The UN team also criticised the Nobel Laureate's government for "acts and omissions" that had "contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes".&nbsp;

Myanmar's army chief said the United Nations had no right to interfere in the sovereignty of the country a week after a UN probe called for him and other top generals to be prosecuted for "genocide" against the Rohingya minority.

Myanmar's army chief said the United Nations had no right to interfere in the sovereignty of the country a week after a UN probe called for him and other top generals to be prosecuted for "genocide" against the Rohingya minority. The defiant response is the army chief's first public reaction since a UN fact-finding mission urged the Security Council to refer Myanmar's top military brass to the International Criminal Court (ICC). No country, organisation or group has the "right to interfere in and make decisions over sovereignty of a country," Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told troops in a speech Sunday, according to the military-run newspaper Myawady. "Talks to meddle in internal affairs (cause) misunderstanding." UN investigators went into horrific detail about the atrocities allegedly committed by army troops last year in their"clearance operations" against the Rohingya, which forced more than 700,000 of the stateless Muslims to flee over the border into Bangladesh. Troops, often aided by ethnic Rakhine mobs, committed murder, rape, arson and torture, employing unfathomable levels of violence and with a total disregard for human life, they concluded. The military has denied nearly all wrongdoing, justifying its crackdown as a legitimate means of rooting out Rohingya militants. Myanmar's civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had already rejected the report's finding as "one-sided" and "flawed" and dismissed a separate decision at the criminal court that found it had jurisdiction over the crisis. Suu Kyi's civilian government shares power with the still mighty army, which has retained control over a quarter of parliamentary seats and three key ministries since the nation emerged from direct junta-rule in 2011. The UN team also criticised the Nobel Laureate's government for "acts and omissions" that had "contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes".

UN has 'no right to interfere' in Myanmar, says Army chief

A special envoy of Myanmar&#39;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin top-level talks in Bangladesh on Wednesday, as the United Nations said the Rohingya crisis prompted 65,000 people to flee Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past three months.

Kyaw Tin, Myanmar&#39;s deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, in a rare diplomatic foray to tackle the biggest challenge facing Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi&#39;s nine-month-old administration.

The stream of new refugees&nbsp;and reports that Myanmar&#39;s navy has shot at Bangladeshi fishermen&nbsp;have further tested historically strained ties between the neighbours, who each see the stateless Rohingya Muslims as the other side&#39;s problem.

The visit marks a shift away from Myanmar&#39;s reluctant approach to cooperation with its western neighbour, which analysts see as key to solving the growing crisis.

Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar border posts on October 9, killing nine police. In response, Myanmar sent the army into the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State.

Residents and refugees have described summary executions, arbitrary arrests and rape in the operation. Suu Kyi&#39;s government has denied almost all abuse allegations.

During the visit, the neighbours will discuss bilateral relations, but the Myanmar side was unlikely to bring up the &quot;complicated&quot; issue of border security, said Aye Aye Soe, deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

&quot;For the border situation, an operation is still in progress to create stability, so I don&#39;t think there will be a lot of results from this first-time meeting,&quot; she said.

&nbsp;

International pressure:

Kyaw Tin will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, said a senior official at the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said Myanmar had initiated the visit &quot;so that Bangladesh does not raise pressure on Myanmar on the Rohingya issue in international forums,&quot; such as an upcoming meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.

Southeast Asia&#39;s Muslim-majority nations, Indonesia and Malaysia, have publicly pressured Myanmar over the crisis.

&quot;Bangladesh has been persuading and pressing in international forums behind the scenes so as not to hamper the relationship,&quot; the Bangladeshi official said.

Talks between the neighbours are complicated by the fact that as many as 500,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh during decades of persecution in Myanmar are not recognised as citizens there either.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that by Jan. 5 about 65,000 more people had arrived in Bangladesh since October 9.

Myanmar&#39;s Aye Aye Soe questioned the UN&nbsp;figure, saying anyone claiming to be a refugee from Myanmar would have to be scrutinised.

She referred to a longstanding government policy that repatriation talks can only cover 2,415 people in Bangladesh whom Myanmar recognises as citizens.

&quot;We need to make sure how many people arrived and where they are from, but no one can confirm exactly,&quot; she said.

(Reuters)

Kyaw Tin, Myanmar's deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to Dhaka

A special envoy of Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin top-level talks in Bangladesh on Wednesday, as the United Nations said the Rohingya crisis prompted 65,000 people to flee Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past three months. Kyaw Tin, Myanmar's deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, in a rare diplomatic foray to tackle the biggest challenge facing Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi's nine-month-old administration. The stream of new refugees and reports that Myanmar's navy has shot at Bangladeshi fishermen have further tested historically strained ties between the neighbours, who each see the stateless Rohingya Muslims as the other side's problem. The visit marks a shift away from Myanmar's reluctant approach to cooperation with its western neighbour, which analysts see as key to solving the growing crisis. Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar border posts on October 9, killing nine police. In response, Myanmar sent the army into the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State. Residents and refugees have described summary executions, arbitrary arrests and rape in the operation. Suu Kyi's government has denied almost all abuse allegations. During the visit, the neighbours will discuss bilateral relations, but the Myanmar side was unlikely to bring up the "complicated" issue of border security, said Aye Aye Soe, deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "For the border situation, an operation is still in progress to create stability, so I don't think there will be a lot of results from this first-time meeting," she said. International pressure: Kyaw Tin will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, said a senior official at the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said Myanmar had initiated the visit "so that Bangladesh does not raise pressure on Myanmar on the Rohingya issue in international forums," such as an upcoming meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. Southeast Asia's Muslim-majority nations, Indonesia and Malaysia, have publicly pressured Myanmar over the crisis. "Bangladesh has been persuading and pressing in international forums behind the scenes so as not to hamper the relationship," the Bangladeshi official said. Talks between the neighbours are complicated by the fact that as many as 500,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh during decades of persecution in Myanmar are not recognised as citizens there either. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that by Jan. 5 about 65,000 more people had arrived in Bangladesh since October 9. Myanmar's Aye Aye Soe questioned the UN figure, saying anyone claiming to be a refugee from Myanmar would have to be scrutinised. She referred to a longstanding government policy that repatriation talks can only cover 2,415 people in Bangladesh whom Myanmar recognises as citizens. "We need to make sure how many people arrived and where they are from, but no one can confirm exactly," she said. (Reuters)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi sends envoy to Bangladesh as Rohingya crisis deepens