Mizzima awarded global JTI certificate for reliable news on Myanmar

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Mizzima Mizzima, one of Myanmar ’s most prominent news outlets and a press freedom advocate, obtained the Journalism Trust Initiative ( JTI ) certification from global audit firm Bureau Veritas , JTI says in a press statement 5 January.  Operating in clandestine mode within Myanmar and supported by an exiled team, Mizzima strives to fulfil its role as reliable source of news and information for the Myanmar public. “Your Journalism Trust Initiative certification affirms what audiences already know: that principled, transparent journalism matters. Congratulations on this achievement and on your continued contribution to informing citizens about Myanmar,” says Benjamin Sabbah , director of Journalism Trust Initiative “Myanmar’s ongoing conflict has created an intensely contested media landscape, where mis- and disinformation are increasingly deployed to reinforce state propaganda and the prevailing “official” narrative. Although Mizzima is already regarded as one of the most trusted ...

HRW calls on Burma to drop charges against peace activists

Monday, 14 January 2013 00:00 Mizzima News

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday called on Burma’s authorities to drop charges against nine activists who participated in peaceful protests in Rangoon in September against the war in Kachin State.

Demonstrators protesting the ongoing conflict in Kachin State march through the streets of Rangoon on September 21, 2012, to mark International Peace Day. (Ye Min / Mizzima)

“The government’s prosecution of peaceful demonstrators reveals troubling limits on Burma’s respect for basic rights,” said Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director at HRW. “Burma’s leaders may be saying the right things at global forums and in bilateral talks, but their reform rhetoric rings hollow on the streets and in the fields where protesters assemble.”

Since September, authorities have denied protest applications in Rangoon and Monywa, violently cracked down on anti-mining protests near Monywa in Sagaing Division, and used the Peaceful Assembly law to prosecute rather than protect those exercising their basic rights, HRW said.

Each of the activists faces up to one year in prison in each of the 10 townships through which the peace march passed if convicted.

“The Burmese government evidently needs a mental reset to recognize that peaceful protests make for a vibrant democracy,” said Robertson. “Burma should have laws that encourage peaceful assembly and authorities who understand and respect it.”
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For more background:


http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/8088-burmese-peace-march-organizers-to-be-charged.html

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