An expected New Year’s present failed to
materialize today for Daw Tu Tu, wife of police whistleblower Capt. Moe Yan
Naing, who will not be released as expected.
His release will now take place sometime next
month, according to an an official with the Insein Corrections Department, who
spoke to Coconuts Yangon on condition of anonymity.
“He will be released sometime in February. We
are not sure when that will be,” he said.
Tu Tu had previously told multiple outlets,
including Coconuts, that her husband was to be released on Jan. 2.
She and the imprisoned whistleblower’s
brother, Ye Wint Naing, were seen waiting outside Insein Corrections Department
today, where officials informed them that they had incorrectly calculated his
release date and he would not be coming home just yet, Daw Tu Tu told Coconuts
Yangon.
“We were disappointed of course, but there
was nothing we could do. They told us that they had incorrectly calculated his
release date. We talked to [Moe Yan Naing] today, and he is disappointed but in
good spirits,” she said.
Moe Yan Naing was sentenced to a year in
prison for allegedly breaking the Police Disciplinary Act while giving
testimony during the trial of imprisoned Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo, who were covering a story about a military massacre of unarmed
civilians in Rakhine State. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etZjSiD
During his time on the stand, he revealed a
plot to “entrap” the two reporters by Police Brigadier General Tin Ko Ko, who
he claimed had ordered two police officers to deliver secret documents to the
pair. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gJZpEyv
Read More: From the Killing Field to the
Courthouse: The unexplored story of Capt. Moe Yan Naing https://lnkd.in/gE3k4uz
Since Moe Yan Naing’s testimony — which
seemingly exonerated the two reporters — civil society leaders, journalists,
and rights defenders have repeatedly praised him for his staunch defense of the
truth.
On Dec. 22, PEN Myanmar awarded him the
“Outstanding Protector of Freedom of Expression” for his bravery in speaking
truth to power.
Source: Coconuts Yangon