An expected New Year’s present failed to materialize today for Daw Tu Tu, wife of police whistleblower Capt. Moe Yan Naing, who will not be released as expected.
His release will now take place sometime next month, according to an an official with the Insein Corrections Department, who spoke to Coconuts Yangon on condition of anonymity.
“He will be released sometime in February. We are not sure when that will be,” he said.
Tu Tu had previously told multiple outlets, including Coconuts, that her husband was to be released on Jan. 2.
She and the imprisoned whistleblower’s brother, Ye Wint Naing, were seen waiting outside Insein Corrections Department today, where officials informed them that they had incorrectly calculated his release date and he would not be coming home just yet, Daw Tu Tu told Coconuts Yangon.
“We were disappointed of course, but there was nothing we could do. They told us that they had incorrectly calculated his release date. We talked to [Moe Yan Naing] today, and he is disappointed but in good spirits,” she said.
Moe Yan Naing was sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly breaking the Police Disciplinary Act while giving testimony during the trial of imprisoned Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were covering a story about a military massacre of unarmed civilians in Rakhine State.
During his time on the stand, he revealed a plot to “entrap” the two reporters by Police Brigadier General Tin Ko Ko, who he claimed had ordered two police officers to deliver secret documents to the pair.
Read More: From the Killing Field to the Courthouse: The unexplored story of Capt. Moe Yan Naing
Since Moe Yan Naing’s testimony — which seemingly exonerated the two reporters — civil society leaders, journalists, and rights defenders have repeatedly praised him for his staunch defense of the truth.
On Dec. 22, PEN Myanmar awarded him the “Outstanding Protector of Freedom of Expression” for his bravery in speaking truth to power.
