Violation of Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in June 2024
The military regime-controlled count in Sittwe township carried a conviction against journalist Htet Aung and office watchman Soe Win Aung on June 28, 2024. The journalist and watchman are from a Rakhine-based independent media outlet, Development Media Group, and were convicted under section 52 (A) of the Counter Terrorism Act to five-year imprisonment with hard labour.
Htet Aung was arrested on October 29 of last year while taking photos at a cultural festival, immediately followed by the arrest of So Win Aung after the junta security forces raided the DMG news office on the same day. The junta has sized and sealed DMG’s building and confiscated office equipment, including computers, cameras, documents, and cash, while the two were taken to a military interrogation center in Sittwe more than once. Their family members were also detained during their visit to the journalist and watchman at the No.1 police station.
DMG reported that Htet Aung’s arrest is linked to the article calling for justice and accountability for the people of Rohingya who were killed in the Myanmar military’s genocide action against Rohingya in 2017.
Violation of Free Speech in June 2024
The month of June 2024 saw a noticeable trend of increased restrictions on internet freedom and numerous infringements upon personal digital rights and security. These included punitive measures against individuals using VPN software on their mobile devices and sharing information. Media monitoring data revealed that the authorities detained at least four individuals for expressing and disseminating their personal opinions or information on social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram.
The police arrested a man named Kyaw Zeyar Tun from NayPyiTaw for his online criticism of Sitagu Sayardaw U Nyanissra, a prominent Buddhist monk who urged Buddhist fellow monks and followers to forgive and forget the case of the assassination of a senior monk, Sayardaw Bhaddanta Munindabhivamsa, a revered monk of the Win Neinmitayon Monastery in Bago region. Sayardaw Munindabhivamsa was shot to death by the military junta’s troops in his car on the way to Mandalay.
Immediately after the death of Venerable Munidabhivamsa, the regimes accused the death of the senior monk caused by the People’s Defense Forces, armed resistance forces that emerged after the military-attempted-coup in 2021 through their controlled media and proxy social media channels. Nevertheless, after another senior monk who was together with Venerable Sayardaw Munidabhivamsa at the time revealed a detailed account of the accident, the military had to admit the case of the death was due to continuous shooting by the military forces. Speaking at the senior monk’s funeral, Sitagu Sayardaw calls on fellow monks and Buddhist followers to forgive, forget, and tolerate the case of death while, on the other hand, calling to work together with the military regime for national stability and unity.
In response to Sitagu Sayardaw’s remark, Kyaw Zeyar Tun made a Facebook post criticizing the monk [Sitagu Sayardaw] being a stooge of the military junta for not knowing right and wrong. He was arrested on June 19, 2024.
Likewise, Khin May Aye from the Ayeyarwaddy region was also arrested on June 26, 2024, at her house for a Facebook post that criticized the military junta. The regime is filing several lawsuits against Khin May Aye, including 52 (A) of the Counter Terrorism Act and section 505 (a) of the Penal Code, accusing her of posting misinformation that could cause public anxiety and defamation content against the state.