Dawei Watch has announced that three of its staff, two reporters and one graphic designer, who were arrested in Dawei on January 18, were released at noon on January 25.

Two reporters working for Dawei Watch News Agency, Ko Zaw and Ma Moe Myint and designer Ko Thar Gyi were released.

Reporter Ko Zaw said, “All three of us were released safely. We were not brought to the interrogation centre. We were released from the police station after being asked what they wanted to know.”

The three were held for eight days.

After the junta seized power in Myanmar, the media came under severe repression. Several dozen journalists were arrested by the junta.

As of January 21 this year, 120 journalists have been arrested, 49 are still detained, one was killed in custody and 16 have been convicted, according to figures compiled by Reporting Season.

Ninety-seven of the arrested media staff are men, including one who died in custody, 22 are women and the gender of the remaining one is unknown. Seventy percent of arrested journalists were reporters and 13 percent were executives.

A number of foreign journalists have been detained including American citizen Danny Fenster, who was jailed for 11 years in November and then pardoned and released days later.

Only China imprisoned more reporters than Myanmar in 2021, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In other news related to Dawei, the junta arrested seven youths who were doing charity work in a free clinic in Nyaung Yan Ward, Dawei, Tanintharyi Region on January 24. The junta’s troops also seized a car and medicine.