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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement after the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo from prison in Burma. The journalists had been wrongfully detained since December 12, 2017, for their work investigating and reporting on atrocities committed against the Rohingya by Burmese security forces.
 
“On the heels of World Press Freedom Day, I am very happy to see Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo finally walk free out of a Burmese prison. Both journalists were unjustly jailed for their work reporting the truth about the atrocities against the Rohingya in Burma. Their cases serve as a reminder of the critical role a free press plays in bringing accountability and transparency to governments, and we must do all we can to protect and advance those principles.”
 
Highlights of Rubio’s Actions in Support of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo:

• On January 29, 2019, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a resolution calling for the release of imprisoned Reuters journalists and for the safe repatriation of Rohingya.
• On September 11, 2018, Rubio and Merkley led a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to secure the release of Reuters journalists in Burma covering Rohingya atrocities.
• On May 3, 2018, Rubio and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led a bipartisan open letter to Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo expressing solidarity with them.
• On January 12, 2018, Rubio called on the Burmese government to release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo as part of his #ExpressionNOToppression campaign.