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She defied a relentless if quiet campaign by the Reuters news service, the U.S. government and other Western nations to free the pair. But the international pressure appeared to have an effect in recent weeks, at least among Suu Kyi’s top aides.

Photo by Ann Wang/AFP/Getty Images

In late April, after Myanmar’s Supreme Court upheld the reporters’ conviction, her spokesman, Zaw Htay, quietly advised an intermediary that their families should stop filing legal appeals, clearing the way for a presidential pardon, according to three people in the chain of communications.

After the families received his back-channel message, they dropped plans for further appeals and quickly drafted a new pardon request, said Pan Ei Mon, Wa Lone’s wife.

Zaw Htay declined to comment on his role in communicating with the families or on Suu Kyi’s opposition to the reporters’ release until now.

The release of the Reuters journalists is a rare concession by the Myanmar authorities in the face of intense global pressure, but it is unlikely to shift attention away from the hundreds of people still imprisoned or facing charges for speaking out.

The two journalists were arrested in December 2017 after they had uncovered a mass grave in Rakhine state, where the military is accused by the United Nations of committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims, killing and raping thousands and forcing more than 700,000 to flee the country.

The two reporters, who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize while they were behind bars, left prison Tuesday after more than 16 months, ending a case that had brought global condemnation of Suu Kyi and disrepute to her country.