Myanmar Activists Face Harsh Sentences for Election Protest

Courts in Myanmar have handed down severe sentences to nine activists involved in a protest calling for a boycott of the country’s December elections. According to the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay, eight of the activists, including prominent activist Htet Myat Aung, received sentences of 37 years in prison each. A ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years.

The activists were arrested after staging a flash protest in downtown Mandalay on December 3, calling on the public to reject the elections, abolish the military conscription law, and release political prisoners detained after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.

The sentences were handed down under the electoral law and counterterrorism law, both of which were enacted by the previous military government. The laws impose punishments of up to the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts elections.

More than 200 people were charged under the law before the December election, in which the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won a majority. Opponents and independent observers said the election, which did not include major opposition parties, was neither free nor fair.

The 2021 army takeover triggered widespread popular opposition that has grown into a civil war. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a group that keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to repression by the military, 31,596 people have been arrested since the takeover, and more than 14,000 are in detention as of Tuesday.

The activists will not appeal the verdicts, as they do not believe the sentences would be overturned. May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay, stated that the military had imprisoned the activists for peacefully protesting in an attempt to instill fear among the public and secure its hold on power.

May Hnin also commented that the sentences are proof that a government that came to power through a sham election can never establish a federal democratic system.

The military-backed government has not publicly commented on the sentences.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has documented the escalating repression in Myanmar since the military takeover in 2021. The group’s statistics highlight the severity of the situation, with 31,596 people arrested and over 14,000 in detention as of Tuesday.

The activists’ sentences serve as a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who dare to challenge the military’s grip on power in Myanmar.

Background on the Election and Military Takeover

The December election, which was marred by allegations of irregularities and a lack of free and fair voting, saw the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party win a majority of seats. However, the election was widely criticized by opponents and independent observers, who argued that it was neither free nor fair due to the absence of major opposition parties.

The 2021 army takeover, which was sparked by the military’s concerns over the results of the 2020 general election, triggered widespread popular opposition that has grown into a civil war. The military’s actions have been met with international condemnation, with many countries calling for the release of political prisoners and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has documented the escalating repression in Myanmar since the military takeover in 2021. The group’s statistics highlight the severity of the situation, with 31,596 people arrested and over 14,000 in detention as of Tuesday.