His death comes amid growing fears over a clampdown on free speech in Myanmar, which has resulted in several lawsuits against journals that criticize the government. Two activists who organized unauthorized protests in support of Par Gyi have been slapped with charges. Ten people employed by news organizations remain behind bars, five of them serving seven years in prison with hard labor for an article that accused the army of operating an illicit chemical weapons factory. Two other court cases are ongoing.
"Now we are a little bit freer in our reporting [than under military rule], but if you criticize the government strongly, you will get into trouble," says Aung Htun Linn, managing editor at The Myanmar Herald.
The weekly journal is being sued for defamation by the Ministry of Information for printing an interview with a leader of the opposition party, the National League for Democracy, who accused Thein Sein of acting "insane." It is the first time a journal has been sued under Myanmar's newly minted Media Law, ostensibly intended to protect freedom of speech.
The government has defended its record and insisted that the media must act responsibly. Reacting to criticisms over its handling of the chemical weapons story, presidential representative Ye Htut says, "even the United States government would respond with the same action."
Aung Htun Linn fears the situation may deteriorate as the 2015 elections approach.
During his trip, Obama told local news journal The Irrawaddy that Par Gyi had been "tragically and senselessly murdered." But he did not raise the case with Thein Sein, and campaigners say the United States has abandoned its diplomatic leverage over Myanmar.
"Unfortunately the U.S. government seems more interested in crowing about their supposed foreign policy success and advancing commercial interests than really standing with the Burmese people against unchecked abuse of power," says David Mathieson, senior researcher on Myanmar for Human Rights Watch.
"Par Gyi's brutal murder sends a snarl of warning to the media to stay away from the military's violation of rights and their business interests. It doesn't bode well for a media sector already in deep concern over an escalation of government harassment."
His death is being investigated by Myanmar's National Human Rights Commission, which has a poor track record of exposing abuses perpetrated by the army. But its secretary, Sitt Myaing, has insisted that the investigation will be independent. In a phone interview, he says that Par Gyi was "a freelance journalist" but one with "close ties" to the DKBA and its political wing, the Klohtoobaw Karen Organization.
The commission is set to disclose the results of its investigation in the coming weeks, when it submits its findings to Thein Sein. Sitt Myaing would not comment on whether Par Gyi was murdered, saying only that the commission would "seriously consider this important point."
The human rights commission has been accused of pro-government bias and neglecting to investigate rampant abuses in ethnic minority areas.
"When they questioned me, I felt like a criminal," says Ma Thandar, sitting in her tiny cluttered house in western Yangon. "So far, they are on the government's side."
Her walls are adorned with pictures of Par Gyi with his family, Buddhist ornaments and colorful posters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for whom her husband served as a bodyguard during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
Upon hearing news of his death, Suu Kyi wrote to Ma Thandar. "I remember that he worked with us during the democracy movement ever since he was a student," reads the somber handwritten note. "All of us who endured hardship during that period share our condolences for Par Gyi. I hope your family obtains justice."
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/slaying-of-journalist-casts-doubts-on-myanmars-democratic-reforms/
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