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Kyaw Soe Oo

Kyaw Soe Oo (Burmese: ကျော်စိုးဦး) is a Myanmar Reuters journalist who, with fellow reporter Wa Lone, was arrested on 12 December 2017 in Myanmar because of their investigation into the Inn Din massacre. A police witness testified that their arrests were a case of entrapment. It is believed their arrests were intended to intimidate journalists.

Kyaw Soe Oo

Journalist

Chit Su Win

1 daughter

Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners

The case received international attention. During 2018, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo received a number of international awards, including being listed among Time magazine's Persons of the Year for 2018. They have been the subject of human rights appeals by Amnesty International, PEN America, and Reporters Without Borders.


The 2019 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize was awarded to Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone on 11 April 2019 for their "courage and commitment to freedom of expression".[1] On 16 April 2019, the two journalists were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.[2][3] They were released on 7 May 2019 after a presidential amnesty.[4][5]

Early life[edit]

Oo is from a Rakhine Buddhist family in Sittwe.[6]

Career[edit]

Oo began working as a journalist for Root Investigative Agency, an outlet for Rakhine news. After violence began in northern Rakhine, Oo began working for Reuters.[6] Oo, along with fellow Reuters journalist Wa Lone, was investigating the Inn Din massacre; they were arrested on 12 December 2017 and released on 7 May 2019. Ara Darzi and Amal Clooney were involved in securing their release.[7]

Personal life[edit]

Oo is married to Chit Su Win. They met while she previously worked for his family. They have a daughter named Moe Thin Wai Zan.[6]

2018, included in magazine's Persons of the Year, which recognized several persecuted journalists as "guardians" in a "war on truth".[13]

Time

The following 2018 awards were received jointly with Wa Lone: