Japanese scribe detained in Myanmar released, set to return home: Foreign Minister Motegi
Tokyo, Japan: Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday announced that Japanese scribe Yuki Kitazumi, detained in Myanmar last month over allegedly discrediting the country's military junta, has been released and is set to return home. Yuki is expected to leave Yangon and fly back to the Tokyo area later on Friday, NHK World reported. At a meeting of the parliamentary committee on international affairs, the minister said, "We worked with Myanmar on an early release through various channels. As a result, the charges against him were dropped and his release was announced. Now the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar is preparing his return, collecting things in the apartment. He will return to his homeland as early as today."
According to Sputnik, Kitazumi was detained a month ago on suspicion of spreading false information while covering anti-government rallies. Yuki was has been detained once before, but later released. As of 10 May, at least 782 people have been killed as security forces used unnecessary, disproportionate and lethal force, to suppress demonstrations and other forms of public participation, since the military coup on 1 February, UN News reported. Over the past month, the military leadership has issued more than 1,561 arrest warrants against civil society activists, trade unionists, journalists, academics, public personalities and online voices, driving the vast majority of them underground.
