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17th November 2020 – London/Yangon -- On Tuesday 16th November four young students appeared in court after being charged under section 505(b) of the penal code dealing with sedition and causing public disturbances. The charges follow anti-war protests in Arakan’s capital, Sittwe Township, on October 19th. The students are U Than Naing, Myat Toe Win, Kyaw Naing Htay, and Kaung Tun. The prosecution against the students is a stark reminder of the ruling NLD party’s failure to protect freedom of expression, even as they swept the country’s general election last week.
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London, UK -- Burma Human Rights Network is proud to announce the launch of our new report “Free and Fair For Some: Discrimination and Hate Speech in Burma’s General Election Campaign.” The report is based on a months-long investigation into hate speech on social media, discrimination against minority voters, and the disqualification of Muslim candidates on baseless and racist claims against their ancestry. Burma’s general election is set to take place on 8 November 2020.
The report documents 39 cases of hate speech and misinformation on social media by Burmese users. The comments, some of which are shared thousands of times, contain vile accusations against Muslims and largely seek to discredit Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party. Similarly, BHRN documented comments from party members and candidates against Muslims that violate Burmese law. On top of all of this, BHRN also documented several instances of violence at campaign events, targeting Muslims or NLD supporters.
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21 October 2020 -- London, UK -- Burma Human Rights Network denounces Burma’s decision to cancel voting for ethnic regions of the country with the general election only weeks away. The Union Election Commission canceled voting in parts of Arakan, Kachin, Kayin, Mon, Shan, and Bago regions because they claimed those areas could not guarantee free and fair elections. The regions listed have had some issues with conflict in the past, but most have not had significant issues for years. In Arakan State alone this will disenfranchise more than a million voters.
“The decision to negate the votes of ethnic minorities in order to ensure an election is democratic is absurd on its face. It is especially telling that people historically oppressed by the military and government are the ones told that they cannot have a say in the general election. The Election Commission must reverse their decision, even in Arakan, and work towards ensuring the safety and transparency of elections, rather than thinking it is a solution to deny minorities of fundamental rights,” Said BHRN Executive Director, Kyaw Win.
