Amal Clooney Joins Another High Profile Legal Case

Amal Clooney has joined another high profile legal case. The renowned human rights lawyer is now part of the team of lawyers representing two Reuters reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been held in jail in Myanmar since their arrest in December last year, when they were accused of possessing government papers.

The court in Yangon has been holding preliminary hearings of whether the two journalists, who were investigating the killings of 10 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine, western Myanmar, can be charged under the Official Secrets Act, which has a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. On Wednesday, lawyers for the pair asked the court to throw out the charges, citing a lack of evidence.

In a statement released by her office, Clooney said: ‘Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are being prosecuted simply because they reported the news. I have reviewed the case file and it is clear beyond doubt that the two journalists are innocent and should be released immediately.’

‘The outcome of this case will tell us a lot about Myanmar’s commitment to the rule of law and freedom of speech.’

A spokesperson for the country’s civilian government has so far declined to comment, though Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN said last month that the pair had been arrested for ‘illegally possessing confidential government documents.’

This is the latest in a string of major human rights cases for Amal, who last year welcomed twins Ella and Alexander with her husband George. Most recently, she represented five Irish prisoners who were subjected to sensory deprivation techniques in custody during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and took their case to the European Court of Human Rights. Prior to that, she represented Nadia Murad, a Yazidi victim of so-called ISIS.

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