Reuters journalists face verdict next week on Myanmar secrets charges

Police escort detained Reuters journalist Wa Lone as he arrives before a court hearing in Yangon, Myanmar, August 20, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang

YANGON (Reuters) - The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on Aug. 27, in a case seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after hearing closing arguments from both sides, during which lawyers for the two journalists said they had been "trapped" by police in an effort to interfere with their reporting of a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.