Multimedia journalist Kay Zon Nwe was detained while following an anti-coup protest held in Sanchaung, Yangon on Saturday noon. The reporter was live-streaming from the sight of protest where the police cracked down on protestors. The whereabouts of Kay Zone remains unknown after the detention. Several demonstrations were held in different parts of Yangon, the biggest city of Myanmar. Security forces were deployed in heavy numbers. In videos on the Internet, soldiers are seen running after media workers, also beating and dragging protesters towards police vans. CFWIJ condemns this police brutality and demands law enforcement authorities in Myanmar to release the journalist. The Myanmar crisis needs to be addressed urgently by all stakeholders in the country to end this curb on critical voices.

Several journalists resigned from a national newspaper once it appeared that the publication was succumbing to military demands. Earlier, the same day, journalists also left the press council in protest following an emergency meeting with the new regime.

The situation in Myanmar remains violative since the military seized power in a coup on February 1. Hundreds of thousands take to the streets in various cities across the country in defiance of the military generals who have deployed troops in major cities. Violence against the protestors is accompanied with a continuous crackdown on press freedom. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is constantly in touch with journalists in Myanmar who express severe concerns about their safety, some of them remain in hideouts. The latest updates come from a female journalist who prefers to stay anonymous. She paints a harrowing picture of the police and the military persecuting township residents. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is utterly dismayed with the acceleration of violence in Myanmar and calls upon the international community to act united.

The journalist community in Myanmar finds itself cornered and threatened as the military takes over the government in the country. CFWIJ is closely monitoring the situation and demands that the Tatmadaw refrain from curbing civilian liberties.