Myanmar journalist Thurein Kyaw, founder and publisher of the independent TOP 4 media outlet, was arrested on February 3, 2022, and is being held on undisclosed charges.
On February 2, Thurein Kyaw was beaten badly by unidentified attackers while covering a rally in support of the military junta in Yangon, according to news reports, photographs circulated online that showed his injuries, and CPJ reporting.
Authorities in Yangon’s Insein Township arrested Thurein Kyaw at his home the following afternoon, according to those reports, which said that two other unidentified individuals were also arrested in the raid.
Media TOP 4 is a Facebook-based outlet that has covered local politics and news, including multiple bombings in early February that coincided with the one-year anniversary of the military’s democracy-suspending coup, according to CPJ’s review of its Facebook page, which has about 86,000 followers.
The page has not posted any new content since February 2, 2022, and states that it has “permanently closed.” CPJ emailed the outlet and sent a request for comment to its Facebook page, but did not receive any replies. Thurein Kyaw was being detained at Insein Prison in late 2022, according to a database compiled by the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, a rights group.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on Thurein Kyaw’s legal status and detention in late 2022.