Myanmar freelance reporter Ba Ba Joe Phyu was arrested on March 20, 2021, in Bamaw Township in Kachin State, according to a Democratic Voice of Burma report, a database maintained by the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners rights group, and a Kachin News Group post on the Detained Journalists of Myanmar private Facebook group, which CPJ reviewed.
Ba Ba Joe Phyu is being held at Bamaw Township’s detention center in Kachin State, according to those sources. CPJ could not determine where he was arrested, what he was doing at the time, or whether he has been charged.
His arrest came in the wake of the military’s February 1, 2021, democracy-suspending coupand subsequent protests. The military junta cracked down on Myanmar’s independent media, detaining dozens of journalists, according to those sources and CPJ research.
The Ministry of Information did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request sent in late November 2021 for comment on whether he has been charged and why he is being held.