Myanmar journalist Myat Thu Kyaw seriously injured in alleged prison assault

Bangkok, January 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the alleged physical abuse of imprisoned Myanmar journalist Myat Thu Kyaw at Yangon’s Insein Prison and calls on authorities to immediately release him on humanitarian grounds.

Prison authorities orchestrated an assault on Myat Thu Kyaw and three other political prisoners using members of an incarcerated Taiwanese drug syndicate, acting on the direct orders of prison officials, according to an AAMIJ English report and the publication’s editor, Nay Myo, who communicated with CPJ via messaging app and requested to use a pseudonym for security reasons.

Myat Thu Kyaw sustained serious injuries to his eyes, face, and arms and was temporarily admitted to a prison hospital for treatment, Nay Myo said.

“The alleged physical abuse of Myat Thu Kyaw is another appalling example of the grotesque conditions imprisoned journalists face in Myanmar,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “CPJ urges Myanmar authorities to ensure Myat Thu Kyaw’s safety and well-being, end all forms of abuse in detention, and unconditionally release him, along with all journalists jailed for their work.”

Myat Thu Kyaw, a veteran freelance photojournalist who has contributed to foreign and domestic outlets, was arrested on January 13, 2023, while covering a protest in Yangon, according to AAMIJ News and Nay Myo.

On July 31, 2023, a military court in Insein Prison sentenced him to three years under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for publishing reports favorable to the opposition National Unity Government and anti-junta armed forces known as People’s Defense Forces, Nay Myo told CPJ.

On January 28, 2025, he was handed an additional five-and-a-half-year sentence under the Counter Terrorism Law, bringing his total sentence to eight and a half years in prison. He also faces possible charges under the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, Nay Myo said.

Myanmar was the second-worst jailer of journalists worldwide in CPJ’s most recent prison census, with at least 30 behind bars on December 1, 2025. The Ministry of Information did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on the allegations of abuse and Myat Thu Kyaw’s situation in prison.