Tag: Freedom of expression
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How the military blocked independent media during the 2025-6 elections
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This groundbreaking report uses big data to reveal how the military intensified internet blocking of independent media, social media platforms, and VPNs during the sham elections, aiming to prevent the public from accessing any independent reporting or communicating with each other.
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11 recommendations for proposed national human rights law
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The proposed National Human Rights Law must prioritise international law and extend protection to all displaced and stateless persons. A conflict-sensitive mandate, judicial-grade independence for commissioners, and mandatory government responses to findings are essential. Without these structural reforms, the Commission risks failing Myanmar’s most marginalised populations in a contested environment.
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Military elections fail 5 key international standards
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This report evaluates the 2026 Myanmar elections against international human rights law. The systematic audit across five legal pillars reveals a total collapse of international standards, characterised by State-sponsored coercion and structural disenfranchisement. This exercise was not a genuine election and the international community should make a principled rejection.
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Impact of digital surveillance on civic space in Myanmar
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The military is weaponising surveillance to crush all civic space. AI-powered cameras and spyware are used to hunt journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists, while repressive new laws create a “rule by lawfare.” This digital dictatorship enables a high-tech war on women and criminalises the very act of seeking privacy.
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AI undermines cultural life in Myanmar
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The military is weaponising Artificial Intelligence to dismantle cultural rights and undermine the right to development. By automating censorship, enforcing digital exclusion, and erasing minority identities, the military has created a digital dictatorship. This submission details how AI-driven repression violates international law and demands urgent global accountability.
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UN review of “terrorism” should recognise Myanmar’s experience of State terror
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As the UN discusses the global definition of terrorism, Myanmar offers a crucial warning. Here, the State itself is the primary perpetrator of terror, yet it weaponises the law to label pro-democracy dissenters as “terrorists”. Our submission urges the UN to recognise this reality and prevent international laws from shielding State atrocities.
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NUG must ensure transparent, independent,and rights-respecting corruption inquiry
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The investigation into allegations of misconduct and corruption within the Prime Minister’s Office offers a defining opportunity for the National Unity Government (NUG) to distinguish itself from the military regime.
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Myanmar freedom on the net 2025
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This year’s Freedom on the Net report finds that internet freedom in Myanmar remained one of the worst in the world, alongside China, with a score of 9 points out of 100. The military’s installation of advanced deep packet inspection technology and the resulting VPN block significantly worsened the situation, shifting the country from basic…
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Gender equality, the digital space and AI in Myanmar
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The military is waging a high-tech war on women. Pro-military online groups dox women, publishing their private data and calling for their arrest. This “dox-to-arrest” pipeline is backed by an expanding network of AI-powered facial recognition cameras, which enables the military to track women. This systematic campaign violates women’s fundamental human rights to privacy, freedom…
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U.S. Congress Starlink investigation threatens internet access in Myanmar
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A U.S. Congressional investigation into the use of Starlink by scam centres in Myanmar risks a blunt and disproportionate response that would further undermine the rights of a vulnerable population already suffering from repression, conflict, and poverty.
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Predicting rights violations in Myanmar’s sham elections
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The military’s 2025 election is a pre-scripted exercise in repression, designed to create a façade of legitimacy while violating fundamental human rights. A predictable blueprint of violations is unfolding, from eliminating political opposition and criminalising dissent to weaponising state media. The process will culminate in a fraudulent vote in a climate of fear, with ethnic…
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Myanmar’s repressive use of AI to counter “terrorism”
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The military in Myanmar is engineering an artificial intelligence-powered digital dictatorship under the false pretext of national security and counter “terrorism”. This is not merely a collection of surveillance tools but a core component of the military’s campaign of repression, designed to automate and scale up atrocity crimes against the opposition.
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Fourth draft Sagaing Constitution lacks fundamental rights
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The fourth version of the draft Sagaing Constitution continues to mark a shift toward public participation and transparency in law-making and includes positive changes. However, significant human rights issues remain. Many essential civil and political rights are still missing, and new vague language has been introduced that could enable future violations.
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Analysing 4 years of journalist detentions in post-coup Myanmar
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The military detained 221 journalists from over 100 media outlets in the four years following the coup. Human Rights Myanmar assisted in the publication of ICNL’s comprehensive investigation into arrests, criminal proceedings, sentencing, and releases, highlighting specific rights violations. The report also examines the editorial positions of targeted media outlets and the distinct treatment of…
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Disinformation as a weapon in Myanmar
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Disinformation is a deliberate, state-sponsored tactic used to silence dissent, justify violence, and undermine human rights. Spread through military-controlled media and covert online networks, it distorts reality and fuels division. Harmful counter-measures often worsen repression, while weak responses from digital platforms allow falsehoods to thrive. Independent media and global cooperation are urgently needed to counter…
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Facebook whistleblower alleges “careless” management failed Myanmar
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The newly published book Careless People, by Facebook’s former director of public policy Sarah Wynn-Williams, alleges that the company’s management was “deeply unconcerned” about its role in Myanmar, which helped “enable posts that led to horrific sexual violence and genocide” against the Rohingya minority group.
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Journalists under attack for defending Myanmar’s environment
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Myanmar journalists reporting on environmental degradation have faced systematic violence, arbitrary detention, and torture. Reporters investigating illegal mining, deforestation, and industrial pollution—vital to public health and democratic accountability—are deliberately targeted by the military and a manipulated justice system. This report highlights severe human rights abuses for the UN’s global review.
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Myanmar’s digital coup rigging the election before it begins
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The digital space plays a crucial role in modern electoral processes, especially in contexts like Myanmar, where the media landscape is tightly controlled, and online platforms remain one of the few avenues to access information. This report highlights how the military’s attacks on internet access and digital freedoms will further undermine the military’s plan to…
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Draft Sagaing constitution missing key rights
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The draft constitution is a step forward but should be strengthened to abolish the death penalty, ban cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, guarantee the right to vote and the right to privacy. The draft should also be amended to enhance fair trial safeguards, ensure judicial independence, establish judicial review, and restrict emergency powers.
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Myanmar’s cyber law a serious threat to privacy, speech, and security
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Rather than ensuring cybersecurity, Myanmar’s newly adopted Cyber Security “Law” grants the military sweeping powers to control online spaces, enabling systematic violations of digital rights, including the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information. This analysis highlights how the law deviates from international human rights standards and threatens privacy, digital security, VPN…
