Agency :Journalists in Rangoon wearing t-shirts to protest the jailing of four reporters and the CEO of the Unity journal were refused entry to an event involving President Thein Sein, sparking protests and a boycott of the meeting by other media.About two dozen journalists trying to cover an event at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) wore t-shirts on which were printed the words “Stop Killing Press.” They were barred from the event-in which the president was meeting with local celebrities-and proceeded to hold a silent demonstration, taping over their mouths to imply freedom of expression is being curtailed in Burma. The demonstrating reporters said they wore the t-shirts to send a message of protest to Thein Sein over the sentences of 10 years with hard labor that were passed down to five people in Pakokku, Magwe Division, on Thursday. The conviction of the four journalists and the CEO of the Unity journal followed a lawsuit filed by the President’s Office accusing them of publishing state secrets and trespassing in relation to an article in January that said a military facility in Magwe was being used to produce chemical weapons.
