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December 17, 2025 – Myanmar –
Rights advocates and press freedom defenders have renewed global calls for the immediate release of photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike, who remains imprisoned in Myanmar following a harsh sentence handed down by the country’s military-controlled judicial system. Sai Zaw, a respected photographer for the independent news outlet Myanmar Now, was detained in May 2023 while documenting the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine State. He was subsequently tried in a single-day proceeding and sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour on charges including spreading false information and causing fear, a sentence rights groups describe as punitive and unjust given the nature of his reporting.
Swe Win, an exiled Burmese journalist and editor-in-chief of Myanmar Now, emphasised in a recent Amnesty International-backed statement that Sai Zaw’s detention reflects the broader repression of independent media under Myanmar’s military regime. According to Swe Win, Sai Zaw was arrested after travelling to report on destruction and humanitarian conditions following the cyclone, but authorities responded with severe punitive measures instead of acknowledging his professional work. The essay highlights the perilous conditions faced by journalists in Myanmar, where more than 200 media professionals have been imprisoned and independent outlets forced into exile since the 2021 military coup.
Reports from human rights organisations indicate that Sai Zaw has experienced harsh prison conditions, including alleged beatings and retaliation for speaking out about abuses of fellow detainees. His case has been featured in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign, which seeks to mobilise international opinion in support of journalists and other imprisoned activists in Myanmar. Organisations advocating for his release stress that his treatment—including reports of violence and solitary confinement—is indicative of a systematic effort to silence independent reporting and suppress public awareness of human rights conditions within the country.
Amnesty International, along with other press freedom groups, argues that Sai Zaw should be allowed to report freely rather than face decades behind bars solely for performing his professional duties. They also highlight the personal toll of his imprisonment: Sai Zaw is not only a photographer but also a primary caregiver to his family, and his incarceration has placed an emotional and financial strain on his relatives.
Advocates continue to urge the international community to apply pressure on Myanmar’s military authorities to release Sai Zaw and other journalists detained for their work, emphasising that freedom of the press is essential to public accountability and the protection of human rights in contexts of political repression.
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