Myanmar coup- violations of Human Rights
Internally displaced people
● There were some 300,000 individuals displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin and
northern Shan States due to armed conflict between the Myanmar military and
various ethnic armed groups.
Denial of humanitarian access
● UN agencies and international NGOs delivering humanitarian aid and supplies
faced significant impediments in their efforts to conduct activities.
● The authorities restricted access to conflict-affected areas and where
governance was contested by the government and ethnic armed groups.
Freedoms of expression, association and assembly
Authorities used a range of repressive laws to arrest, prosecute and imprison individuals
who exercised their rights to freedoms of expression, association and peaceful
assembly.
● The authorities often pursued charges against critics and human rights
defenders. Authorities charged poetry troupe the Peacock Generation with
“online defamation” under these two laws for their peaceful Thangyat
performances criticizing the military. Thangyat is a traditional art form fusing
poetry, comedy and music for satirical ends, performed during the New Year
water festival in April. Six members of the group were sentenced to between two
and six years’ imprisonment. By year’s end, three remained in prison.
● During September the authorities arrested 15 members of the All Burma
Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). They had participated in peaceful
anti-war demonstrations and pamphleting awareness campaigns around the
country, calling for an end to the conflict in Rakhine and Chin States, and for the
restoration of mobile internet services in areas affected by the
government-ordered slowdown.
Access to information
In August, the government partially lifted restrictions on mobile internet connectivity
imposed in June 2019 in the conflict-affected areas of northern Rakhine and southern
Chin States. Areas where service was restored saw a drastic reduction in connection
speeds. This impeded the flow of information, especially the documentation of human
rights violations and abuses and the dissemination of crucial health care information
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Internally displaced people
● There were some 300,000 individuals displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin and
northern Shan States due to armed conflict between the Myanmar military and
various ethnic armed groups.
Denial of humanitarian access
● UN agencies and international NGOs delivering humanitarian aid and supplies
faced significant impediments in their efforts to conduct activities.
● The authorities restricted access to conflict-affected areas and where
governance was contested by the government and ethnic armed groups.
Freedoms of expression, association and assembly
Authorities used a range of repressive laws to arrest, prosecute and imprison individuals
who exercised their rights to freedoms of expression, association and peaceful
assembly.
● The authorities often pursued charges against critics and human rights
defenders. Authorities charged poetry troupe the Peacock Generation with
“online defamation” under these two laws for their peaceful Thangyat
performances criticizing the military. Thangyat is a traditional art form fusing
poetry, comedy and music for satirical ends, performed during the New Year
water festival in April. Six members of the group were sentenced to between two
and six years’ imprisonment. By year’s end, three remained in prison.
● During September the authorities arrested 15 members of the All Burma
Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). They had participated in peaceful
anti-war demonstrations and pamphleting awareness campaigns around the
country, calling for an end to the conflict in Rakhine and Chin States, and for the
restoration of mobile internet services in areas affected by the
government-ordered slowdown.
Access to information
In August, the government partially lifted restrictions on mobile internet connectivity
imposed in June 2019 in the conflict-affected areas of northern Rakhine and southern
Chin States. Areas where service was restored saw a drastic reduction in connection
speeds. This impeded the flow of information, especially the documentation of human
rights violations and abuses and the dissemination of crucial health care information
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
