Two Reuters journalists were sentenced to seven years in prison for violating a state secrets act during their investigation of violence against the Rohingya minority. Their final report was published after the journalists were arrested for receiving official documents from police officers. The report is considered particularly valuable because it includes testimony from participants in the killings. Global representatives decried the ruling, including Stephen Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters who said: 'This is a major step backward in Myanmar's transition to democracy, cannot be squared with the rule of law or freedom of speech, and must be corrected by the Myanmar government as a matter of urgency.' Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists stated that ' [...] The process that resulted in their convictions was a travesty of justice and will cast Myanmar as an anti-democratic pariah as long as they are wrongfully held behind bars [...].'