In Pictures

In Pictures: Tears of joy as journalists walk free in Myanmar

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo freed in Myanmar after more than 500 days in jail.

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo gesture as they walk to Insein prison gate after being freed, after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang. TPX IMA — Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo outside Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar. [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars.

The reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, had been convicted in September on charges of breaking the Official Secrets Act, and sentenced to seven years in prison.

The case raised questions about Myanmar’s progress towards democracy and sparked an outcry from media organistions, diplomats and human rights advocates.

They were released under a presidential amnesty for 6,520 prisoners on Tuesday. President Win Myint has pardoned thousands of other prisoners in mass amnesties since last month.

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo celebrate with their children after being freed from prison, after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang/Pool TPX — Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo celebrate with their children after being freed from prison. [Ann Wang/Pool/Reuters]

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo gesture as they walk free outside Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Myat Thu Kyaw TPX IMAGES OF THE — Reuters has said the two men did not commit any crime and had called for their release. [Myat Thu Kyaw/Reuters]

Reuters reporter Wa Lone poses with wife Pan Ei Mon and daughter, along with Reuters reporter Kyaw Soe Oo carrying his daughter next to wife Chit Su Win, after being freed from prison, after receiving — The journalists were reunited with their wives and daughters after their release from prison. [Ann Wang/Pool/Reuters]

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo react in a vehicle after being freed from Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang — The pair were driven from the prison by Reuters colleagues before being reunited with their families. [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Reuters reporter Wa Lone and his wife Pan Ei Mon celebrate with their daughter after Wa Lone was freed from prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wa — Wa Lone and his wife Pan Ei Mon celebrate with their daughter. [Ann Wang/Pool/Reuters]

Reuters reporter Kyaw Soe Oo, center, holds his daughter with his wife Chit Su Win after being freed from prison, in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned — Kyaw Soe Oo, wife Chit Su Win and daughter celebrate his freedom. [Ann Wang/Pool/AP Photo]

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo walk to Insein prison gate after being freed, after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang — Before their arrest in December 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians during an army crackdown in western Myanmar's Rakhine State. [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Reuters reporter Wa Lone reacts as he is freed from Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang — Wa Lone is freed from Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon. [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Reuters reporter Kyaw Soe Oo reacts after being freed from Insein prison after receiving a presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang — Kyaw Soe Oo smiles after being freed from Insein prison. [Ann Wang/Reuters]