Freelance photojournalist Ko Soe Naing died recently in Myanmar military prison, making him the first media victim in the country since the military coup in Naypietaw on 1 February 2021 ousted the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi-led government.
Naing, a previous contributor to Myanmar’s numerous media outlets, was detained in Yangon on December 10th (Human Rights Day) while covering an anti-junta march in the country’s former capital. Later, he was sent to a military interrogation camp, where he died on December 14, most likely. Naing was survived by his wife, a minor son, and other family members.
According to the Associated Press, the journalist was arrested and sent to a military detention camp in Yangon’s Eastern Botahtaung Township, where he died the next morning at the Yangon Defense Service General Hospital. According to the report, he was cremated the same day.
A Yangon (formerly Rangoon)-based journalist told PEC’s south-east Asia representative, Nava Thakuria, that the Burmese photojournalist was previously trained as a graphic designer before beginning to capture numerous anti-military events.
His images were used by a number of outside agencies on a few occasions, giving Naing rapid visibility inside the country.
