MoI
 

A 36-year-old man in Myanmar has been sentenced to seven years of hard labour for criticising the military government’s upcoming election plans, marking the first known conviction under a new law targeting dissent against the polls.

 

Nay Thway was convicted in Taunggyi township court, Shan State, for “attempting to undermine the elections” after posting a surveillance video of a robbery on Facebook. In the now-deleted post, he condemned the junta for prioritising elections over public safety.

 

The sentencing comes amid preparations for elections scheduled to begin on 28 December. Critics, including armed resistance groups, have denounced the vote as a façade to legitimise military rule following the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.

 

Myanmar’s new election law carries severe penalties, including the death sentence for certain offences. Nay Thway received the maximum punishment for his post, though it remains unclear whether he will appeal or who represented him in court.

 

The Union Election Commission has registered around 60 parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Four parties were recently dissolved for failing to meet membership and office requirements.

 

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy was disbanded in 2023. She is currently serving 27 years in prison after a series of convictions widely condemned as politically motivated. The opposition National Unity Government, formed by lawmakers barred from office, claims Suu Kyi is in poor health—an assertion the junta denies.

 

The case underscores the shrinking space for free expression in Myanmar, where criticism of the regime increasingly carries harsh consequences.

 

 

-2025-09-11

Wow!  Myanmar is getting as bad as the UK!! 😆

4 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Wow!  Myanmar is getting as bad as the UK!! 😆

 

Utter rubbish!

 

In the UK you will not get seven years hard labour for criticising an upcoming General Election! Democracy, freedom of speech and all that!