Two members of Reuters' team of 2019 International Reporting Prize winners, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, spoke briefly at the May 28 Pulitzer Prize ceremony about their recently granted freedom and their pursuit of truth in reporting.
"I feel very humble and greatly honored to be here," Wa Lone said. "I would like to recognize our fellow journalists around the world who risk their lives and their freedom ever day to report the news."
"We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received from all the journalists and media organizations around the world," Kyaw Soe Oo said via a translator.
The winning work exposed military units and Buddhist villagers responsible for the systematic expulsion and murder of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
Upon their release, Pulitzer Administrator Dana Canedy said:
Like all who embrace the principles of a free and open press, we are enormously gratified that Reuters journalists and 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been released from prison in Myanmar after 511 days of incarceration. They stand as international symbols of the importance of press freedom and have made us all proud with their commitment to journalism under tremendously oppressive circumstances.
View the full video of their remarks at Reuters' website.