Swe Win: “Photojournalist Sai Zaw should be able to report freely. He should not be in prison.”

17 December 2025

In 2023, celebrated photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike travelled to Rakhine state determined to report on the widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Mocha. However, after a week he was arrested, interrogated and allegedly beaten. In September 2023 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour after a trial that lasted just one day.

Sai Zaw's friend and colleague, Swe Win, editor of Myanmar Now, is campaigning for his release, together with organizations like Amnesty International. Since 2021, more than 200 journalists have been imprisoned and at least seven have reportedly been killed in Myanmar. Media outlets have been banned - including Myanmar Now, which now operates from Australia - and journalists have been forced into exile.

In this piece, Swe Win describes the reality of being a journalist in a country under military control and shares insights into Sai Zaw's life in prison.

I lead an independent news agency called Myanmar Now, where my team and I report on the most critical issues facing Myanmar, including politics, conflict and human rights abuses.

Our team of professional journalists deliver accurate reporting at a time when our country is once again in a military dictatorship backed by powerful allies such as China, Russia, India.

I used to work closely with Sai Zaw - a well-known photojournalist in Myanmar. Brave, fearless and unafraid to defy authorities, Sai Zaw was at the forefront of a number of major news events in our country.

In 2021, as a result of the military coup, our country became more violent and journalism became an extremely dangerous profession. Journalists started fleeing the country, our newsroom was raided and we were all declared "terrorists".

Sentenced to 20 years in prison

Things took a turn for the worse when the military came to power and Sai Zaw was one of the first people advised to leave the country after the coup. However, he decided to stay and document the junta's violent crackdown, moving from one house to another, like a fugitive. He was living and working underground in Yangon as a photojournalist for our news outlet.

"Sai Zaw was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with hard labour. His trial lasted one day. I was shocked."

When Cyclone Mocha slammed into our country, he was determined to report on it, despite the scrutiny he was under. He travelled to Rakhine State, hundreds of miles from his hometown and embedded himself with a relief team. However, someone tipped off military intelligence, and Sai Zaw - my colleague and my friend - was arrested on 28 May 2023 and charged with causing fear and spreading false news.

Sai Zaw was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with hard labour. His trial lasted one day. I was shocked. This was one of the longest known prison sentences handed down to a journalist since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar.

The prison conditions are horrific

The prison conditions for Sai Zaw are horrific. Earlier this year he was allegedly beaten. He has been targeted not only for his background in journalism, but for speaking out on behalf of all the fellow prisoners who are suffering abuse in front of him.

Under military rule, lawlessness prevails. And despite his ordeal, he refuses to remain silent.

It's been incredibly difficult to see the impact Sai Zaw's arrest has had on his family. His mother is older now and his younger brother is disabled, having contracted polio as a child. Sai Zaw is the breadwinner and primary carer for his family members.

Only family members are permitted to visit Sai Zaw in prison, so this puts an added pressure on them. As a friend and colleague, I am not allowed to go and see him, even though I desperately want to.

Sai Zaw wants to be able to report freely

You could say Sai Zaw's defiant nature, coupled with his passion for journalism, is what brought him notoriety. His aim was to defy the age-old power structure in our country through his camera and that's what drove him to be one of the bravest, best photographers in Myanmar.

He started as a reporter, driven by curiosity, reporting on socio-economic issues affecting communities. He also reported on topics such as political prisoners, land confiscation by the military, and the struggles of factory workers.

Over the years he has worked for almost all the big major national news outlets as a photojournalist and he started getting recognized for his powerful coverage of major human rights issues, including the military crackdown on student protests and the rise of an ultra nationalist movement targeting Muslim minorities in our country.

Understanding our reality

All Sai Zaw wants is to live in a free country, unfettered by military rule. He should be able to report freely. He should be at home, spending time with his family and doing the things he loves, like playing football, watching Manchester United and seeing friends. Sai Zaw should be with his family who he adores. Instead, he is being beaten and subjected to periods of solitary confinement.

As long as Sai Zaw and other journalists remain in prison, simply for doing their work, people around the world must understand that the regime we are under is not changing for the better. Some may think that a stable dictatorship is better than war, but that is a misguided assumption. We need people to understand the reality of what we're living.

Signs of solidarity and hope

I am calling for the military to immediately release Sai Zaw and I hope others will join me. I am so pleased Sai Zaw is part of Amnesty International's Write for Rights campaign this year. It really gives journalists in Myanmar hope. With every letter written and every petition signed, it makes me feel like we're taking a step forward. Sai Zaw and others have been cut off from the outside world, from their family and loved ones, but this means so much for their psychological survival. I know that any signs of solidarity and hope boosts Sai Zaw's morale.

As journalists, our right to report freely deserves to be supported. We deserve to live in a just society, where we can do our jobs, protecting our communities and promoting truth and justice in a country that is free.

This story was originally published on The Diplomat.

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