Journalists continue to work in dangerous situations in Myanmar’s continuing conflict, where they face challenges in physical and digital safety, gathering news, and economic security.
As of end-September 2023, 59 journalists remained behind bars. Since January 2023, a total of eight journalists have been arrested and six journalists have been convicted. The majority of the convictions continue to be under Section 505A of the Myanmar Penal Code, which penalises incitement against government and security forces, causing fear among the public and spreading false news.
In Rakhine, there are fresh signs that the space for news work is shrinking further in a region whose media community faced restrictions even before the coup. In the third quarter of 2023, journalists, along with civil society and other activists, were the subject of tighter security checks, more frequent random checks and a stepped-up hunt for them after the Rakhine regional authorities circulated a list of individuals wanted for a mix of security-related crimes.
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