Tag: Military coup

  • Civic aftershock: How restricting civil society obstructed Myanmar’s earthquake response

    Civic aftershock: How restricting civil society obstructed Myanmar’s earthquake response

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    After six months of interviews and research, a new report explains how the military deliberately obstructed the 2025 earthquake response, exploiting the humanitarian crisis to suppress civic freedoms. ICNL’s comprehensive report, based on key informant interviews with earthquake respondents, details how the military weaponised laws, imposed a complex system of permissions, and blocked access to…

  • U.S. Congress Starlink investigation threatens internet access in Myanmar

    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.

  • Predicting rights violations in Myanmar’s sham elections

    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…

  • Nepal, Bangladesh, and the hard road to human rights in Myanmar

    Nepal, Bangladesh, and the hard road to human rights in Myanmar

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    Recent and rapid change among Myanmar’s neighbours has brought a moment of profound hope. In Bangladesh, a youth-led uprising has led to a new government headed by a Nobel laureate civil society leader. In Nepal, a similar youth-driven movement has appointed a bold anti-corruption judge as the first woman to lead an Asian country without…

  • Sweden ends development aid to Myanmar, abandoning media and civil society

    Sweden ends development aid to Myanmar, abandoning media and civil society

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    Sweden will end all development aid to Myanmar from 2026, following the U.S. government. This includes $2.65 million per year for media and human rights groups. The shock decision, confirmed on 11 September 2025, is a profound blow to Myanmar’s civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media, severing a final and critical lifeline of…

  • Myanmar’s repressive use of AI to counter “terrorism”

    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.

  • Fourth draft Sagaing Constitution lacks fundamental rights

    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.

  • Analysing 4 years of journalist detentions in post-coup Myanmar

    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…

  • Privacy violations and discrimination in Myanmar

    Privacy violations and discrimination in Myanmar

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    Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has weaponised digital tools to dismantle privacy and target marginalised groups. This submission to the UN High Commissioner documents discriminatory surveillance practices—such as data retention, SIM registration, VPN blocks, and facial recognition—and calls for urgent international action to expose, sanction, and end the military’s deliberate strategy of digital repression…

  • Disinformation as a weapon in Myanmar

    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…

  • Military prevents reintegration of political prisoners

    Military prevents reintegration of political prisoners

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    This report to the UN exposes the military’s deliberate policy of preventing the reintegration of political prisoners. Instead of rehabilitation, the military regime enforces surveillance, harassment, economic exclusion, and family disruption to keep former detainees marginalised and politically silenced. It calls for international accountability and support for independent reintegration efforts to counter the regime’s systematic…

  • Risks of creative AI in Myanmar

    Risks of creative AI in Myanmar

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    Global tech companies have repeatedly rolled out new digital applications in Myanmar without adequate due diligence, driving disinformation, hatred and enabling atrocity crimes. As AI now enables instant audio-visual creation, it is critical that companies adopt rigorous, rights-based safeguards to avoid repeating these errors.

  • Sex-based violence in Myanmar

    Sex-based violence in Myanmar

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    Myanmar’s military systematically uses sex-based violence to subjugate women and girls, intensifying since the 2021 coup. At least 380 women have been intentionally targeted and killed, some burned alive or executed in custody, while over 500 have faced sexual violence, including rape. This deliberate strategy, rooted in patriarchy and militarisation, aims to silence dissent and…

  • Hundreds of older people victims of military violence

    Hundreds of older people victims of military violence

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    Older people in Myanmar are not spared from the conflict’s extreme violence. Since 2021, nearly 700 have been unlawfully killed. Military actions include horrific abuses like beheadings and being burned alive. Many, especially those with disabilities, are trapped and deliberately targeted. Alongside arbitrary detention of almost 500 and harsh sentences, these acts highlight a systematic assault. Urgent…

  • Military’s earthquake response: a crime against humanity?

    Military’s earthquake response: a crime against humanity?

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    The devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March has wrought widespread destruction and immense human suffering, made far worse by the military’s response, which may constitute another crime against humanity.

  • Journalists under attack for defending Myanmar’s environment

    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.

  • Myanmar’s digital coup rigging the election before it begins

    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…

  • Chinese security companies exacerbate human rights violations in Myanmar

    Chinese security companies exacerbate human rights violations in Myanmar

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    The rise of Chinese private security companies in Myanmar will reshape conflict dynamics. This report to the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries highlights how such companies are proxies for the Chinese State, importing authoritarianism, intensifying militarisation, undermining human rights, and exploiting legal loopholes to operate with impunity.

  • Draft Sagaing constitution missing key rights

    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.

  • Killing, torture, and persecution of persons with disabilities in Myanmar

    Killing, torture, and persecution of persons with disabilities in Myanmar

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    Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, at least 117 persons with disabilities (PWDs) have been killed by the military. Many PWDs have faced targeted violence and been disproportionately affected by indiscriminate human rights abuses. Those held in arbitrary detention have been subjected to extreme torture and widespread medical neglect. This report outlines some of the most serious…

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