Myanmar journo earlier detained in Bangladesh wins award

Myanmar's freelance photographer Minzayar Oo has won the Martin Adler Prize 2017. Minzayar is the first photographer to receive the prize that is sponsored by Hexagon. The Martin Adler Prize is given by the trustees of the Rory Peck Trust and handed over to the winner at the Rory Peck Awards ceremony. The Rory Peck Trust, who organised the Rory Peck Awards night in London on Monday, honoured the freelancer for his significant contribution to newsgathering, the trust website said. The 29-year-old Minzayar is one of Myanmar’s leading photographers - part of a new generation of local freelance journalists documenting the political, social and economic transition of their country, reports the Rory Peck Trust. Minzayar Oo is unique among his peers for the dedication he has shown in telling Myanmar’s important and difficult stories, notably his long-term commitment to covering the plight of the Rohingya - a story now on top of the international news agenda. Myanmar journalists Minzayar Oo and Htun Lat were arrested in September by Bangladesh security agencies in Cox’s Bazar as they were reporting the flood of refugees from Rakhine State. However, they were allowed to return to Myanmar on October 17, said the trust website. The two Myanmar journalists were picked up while covering the Rohingya crisis for a German magazine Geo on suspicion of espionage. The photo journalists were charged with “false impersonation” and providing “false information” under Sections 419 and 177 of the Penal Code and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Later, the court allowed them to back their country. Rory Peck Trust Director Tina Carr said: “These awards are all about freelancers and the powerful work that they produce. But as we celebrate their achievements we are also aware that the challenges they face are changing, growing, and coming from new sources.” Minzayar’s work has been published in Time, The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, National Geographic, GEO, 6MOIS, La Republica and many other publications and has been exhibited in Myanmar and around the world, including photography festivals Rencontres d’Arles and Angkor Photo Festival.