This Week in Human Rights News

Myanmar Journalists, Activists Continue to Face Persecution Following February Coup

Sources: Reuters (1, 2), Al Jazeera (1, 2, 3), AAPP, VOA (1, 2), BBC, The Guardian, Vice News

Content warning: discussion of death, torture

In Myanmar, also known as Burma*, the arrest of two local journalists in late August has contributed to a growing number of media personnel being targeted by the military junta, called the Tatmadaw. The Tatmadaw, which seized political control in a February 1 coup, has revoked the licenses of many news outlets in an attempt to prevent news reporting that it deems ‘false or likely to create public unrest.’ 

Since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, Myanmar has undergone decades of political turmoil from both elections and military coups. The February 1 coup came after an election cycle on November 8, 2020, which resulted in a sweeping victory (86% of seats in the Assembly of the Union) for the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD party consists of State Chancellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, who have been elected since 2015. After seizing power and arresting several government officials on February 1, the Tatmadaw falsely claimed widespread voter fraud to delegitimise the election results and to seize control.

While the NLD’s appointment to government was accomplished via a semi-democratic process (it should be noted that many ethnic minorities were not allowed to vote), their administration has been criticised by the United Nations, International Criminal Court, and Amnesty International for failing to stop the persecution and displacement of Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state, which was done with genocidal intent by the military in power in the region. Myanmar also continues to refuse to grant citizenship to Rohingya people. With the Tatmadaw now in power, many Rohingya refugees now worry that a previous bilateral agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh to repatriate displaced Rohingya people will be disrupted or not honoured.     

Journalists have been documenting brutal crackdowns on dissent and protest, which has resulted in 781 people, including 52 children, being killed. In addition to shuttering news outlets and cutting power and access to the Internet, journalists have been driven underground and into exile. In May, three journalists and two activists fled to neighbouring Thailand, only to be arrested and faced with deportation in addition to fines and jail time. After human rights groups and journalists’ associations urged Thai authorities not to deport the group, they were sent to a third, undisclosed country for safer refuge. 

In addition to persecuting journalists, the Tatmadaw has also targeted cultural figures, such as poets. Khet Thi, a poet who made and sold ice cream and cakes in his shop, died in police custody in June. His wife disclosed that his body had been returned with missing internal organs. His death came after a fellow poet, K Za Win, died after being shot in the head in March. Both poets wrote prose about revolution, love, and life and were activists for democracy.

The 76th General Assembly session of the United Nations on September 14 will be crucial for Myanmar as the Credentials Committee must recommend whether the Tatmadaw or the formerly elected government will take the country’s UN seat. The General Assembly will take place amidst announcements from opposition groups to the Tatmadaw, such as the National Unity Government, declaring a call to arms against the military takeover. 

The preservation of the free press in Myanmar is crucial for reporting updates on the Tatmadaw’s ruling to the remainder of the world and to ensure that the rights of Myanmar’s people are maintained.

*The country’s name was changed to Myanmar in 1989 by country leaders after the ruling military government violently suppressed a pro-democracy uprising by killing thousands of people. This change from Burma to Myanmar was only done in English. In Burmese, the form Myanmar is the more formal and ‘classical’ name and the two names are used depending on context. The military’s justification for changing the name was under the guise of inclusion for other ethnic groups beyond Burmese people, and to oppose the colonial past of the name ‘Burma’. But this change has been criticised. In media reports, Myanmar is used officially, oftentimes with reference to Burma. It is important to acknowledge that the country’s name should be referred to with deference to what people from the country choose.