Verdict in case against Reuters journalists in Myanmar postponed to Sept. 3

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Verdict in case against Reuters journalists in Myanmar postponed to Sept. 3

 

Detained Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo arrive at Insein court in Yangon, Myanmar August 27, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang

 

YANGON (Reuters) - The verdict in Myanmar's prosecution of two Reuters reporters accused of breaching the country's Official Secrets Act was postponed on Monday until Sept. 3 because the judge overseeing the case is in poor health, a court official said.

 

"The judge is in poor health, so I am here to announce that the verdict is postponed to the third," said Judge Khin Maung Maung, who attended a brief proceeding in the Yangon court, replacing Judge Ye Lwin who has overseen the case until now.

 

Journalists Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were detained last December. Their prosecution has come to be seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

 

(Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Alex Richardson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-27