Australia, insurance, car, home, live, holidays

Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo,left,and Wa Lone are handcuffed as they are escorted by police out of a court in Yangon,Myanmar,last year.Credit:AP

They were convicted after reporting on the military's brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.

Their investigation into the massacre of Rohingya sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates and received a number of honours and awards including the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in April.

Myanmar was due to release 6520 prisoners after President Win Myint pardoned thousands of prisoners in two mass amnesties last month.

It is customary in Myanmar for authorities to free prisoners around the time of the traditional New Year,which began on April 17.

Last month the country'sSupreme Court rejected the journalists' final appeal and upheld seven-year prison sentences.

Reuters on Tuesday posted a video and photos of the two smiling journalists walking out of jail,taken at some distance.

Their release comes after months of sustained international pressure,including from the US government,the United Nations and many others. Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi had so far appeared unwilling to free the journalists,saying publicly that they had broken the law and were not jailed for their work as reporters.

Reuters Editor in Chief Stephen Adler said in a statement that the news agency was"enormously pleased"that they have been released.

"Since their arrests 511 days ago,they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their return,"he said.

Reuters,Washington Post