Seven soldiers have been jailed for the killings of 10 Rohingya Muslim men, the Myanmar military announced yesterday.

The military said the soldiers had been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour for “contributing to and participating in murder.”

It is the first time that soldiers and paramilitary police have been implicated in crimes committed against the Rohingya.

The sentencing follows the appearance of the bylines of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo on a detailed report of a mass grave in the village of Inn Din in Rakhine state.

The report uncovered the involvement of police and security personnel and quoted a retired Myanmar soldier who claimed to have helped dig the grave for 10 Rohingya Muslims he said were killed by Buddhist villagers and soldiers.

The pair were detained and could face up to 14 years in prison under Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act. Their bail applications were rejected by a Yangon court yesterday and a plea to have the case dropped was dismissed.

Four officers and three soldiers were found guilty of playing a part in the killings, according to the military statement.

More than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee Myanmar since August 2017 amid allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state. The Myanmar military and local Buddhists have been accused of the torching of villages, mass murder, rape and torture.

The military has consistently denied accusations of targeting civilians, claiming to be carrying out operations against Rohingya militants following “terrorist” attacks.