Reuters journalists verdict postponed

A court in Myanmar on Monday postponed ruling on whether two Reuters journalists violated a state secrets act for their investigation into Rohingya Muslims.

An official said the verdict would be given on 3 September, BBC reports. 

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested last year while carrying secret official documents they had been given by police officers.

The men face up to 14 years in jail if found guilty. They deny all charges.

Their lawyer had said they would be freed "if the judiciary is free and fair".

Wa Lone has said their work followed all media ethics.

"We tried to tell the truth based on the real situation," he said previously.

The verdict comes a year after the long-running crisis in Rakhine state came to a head when a previously unknown Rohingya militant group staged deadly attacks on police posts.

The military responded with a large-scale deadly operation against the Rohingya, which the UN has said was intended to drive them out of the country for good.

Media access to Rakhine is strictly controlled by the government so it is difficult to get reliable news from the region.