YANGON — The Director of Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation saw the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in Myanmar on Tuesday, May 7.
Professor the Lord (Ara) Darzi of Denham, who has worked in Myanmar (Burma) since 2012 on a humanitarian basis, spent recent months in dialogue with the government about the journalists’ status.
The two journalists, who have been held since December 2017 after reporting on the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, were pardoned and released on May 7 in Yangon.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists were released as an international advisory group reviewed the implementation of the late Kofi Annan’s recommendations on the future of Rakhine State.
Darzi said: “I am delighted that the Reuters reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, have been granted a pardon, released from custody, and are with their loved ones once more. I know that it will come as a huge relief to their families, friends and colleagues.
“This outcome shows that dialogue works, even in the most difficult of circumstances. I would like to pay tribute to all of those that came together to achieve this—the Government of Myanmar, the world-renowned Reuters news agency, the UN and various governments and international organizations.
