Burmese photojournalist Ko Soe Naing dies in military custody

GENEVA: Freelance photojournalist Ko Soe Naing has died under the Myanmar military, becoming the first media-victim in the country after the military coup that deposed the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi-led government in Naypietaw.

Naing, who used to contribute for various media outlets of the south-east Asian country, was arrested from Yangon while he was covering an anti-junta demonstration on 10 December (Human Rights Day) in the former capital of Myanmar. Later, he was sent to a military interrogation center, where he died on 14 December.

Naing left behind his wife, a minor son and other relatives.

Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, has strongly condemned the incident.

“Unconfirmed reports suggest that nearly 90 Burmese citizens died during interrogation since the coup day. With the ground input, we claim that Ko Soe Naing is the first media worker to have died in Myanmar military custody since 1 February. We reiterate our demand to Myanmar dictator Min Aung Hlaing for releasing all prisoners including the journalists,” said Blaise Lempen, secretary-general of PEC.

Speaking to Nava Thakuria, PEC’s south-east Asia representative, a Yangon based journalist informed that the Burmese photojournalist was initially trained as a graphic designer and later started taking photographs of various anti-military demonstrations.

In some occasions, his photographs were also used by a number of news agencies, which gave Naing instant visibility inside the country.

Follow us on Facebook