Armed groups urged to respect free expression, safety of media workers

By Admin 03 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

3 October 2025, Mrauk-U
 
Myanmar Women in Media (MWiM), Burmese Women’s Union (BWU) and Sisters 2 Sisters issued a statement on October 3 urging authorities and armed groups to respect the freedom of expression and safety of media workers.
 
The statement said relevant organisations, including armed groups, need to respect the media’s freedom to operate responsibly, and that arresting journalists undermines freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
 
The statement expressed concern and condemnation over the detention of Mudra, a female reporter for the Arakan State-based Border News Agency, who was taken for questioning by the intelligence unit of the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) and has not been released some two weeks after she was detained.
 
BNA Editor-in-Chief U Kaung Myat Naing said, “I have not been able to contact her to this day. Her father was only allowed to see her for one day. From that day on, the Arakan Army said they were not allowed to see her, so her father stopped going to see her.”
 
The statement called for Mudra’s immediate release as she is a journalist working in the news industry and prolonged detention is a threat to her personal safety and freedom of expression.
 
ULA/AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha told the media that Mudra was being investigated for activities that violated wartime regulations and jeopardised public safety.
 
The detention has left the local journalism community unsettled, however. 
 
“I am more worried that journalists will face even more difficulties than they are now. In addition to the difficulties with the internet and some restrictions, journalists are already having difficulties reporting on the ground, and with these kinds of interrogations, I am worried that the availability of information will be weakened,” said a female journalist in Arakan State.
 
Media groups and journalists in Arakan State are working to report on the conflict despite many challenges, including phone/internet problems, air travel risks, and travel restrictions.
 
The statement expressed particular concern for the safety of female journalists who bravely work in conflict zones and other challenging environments.
 
“Journalists are risking their lives to do their media work amidst the insecurity in Arakan State. In addition, with the arrests and investigations, I feel like my personal insecurity is increasing,” said a male freelance journalist in Arakan State.
 
The statement strongly condemned the renewed pressure on media professionals, as Myanmar ranked 169th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index.