![]() ![]() ![]() In a collective letter with more than 160 signatories, civil society across Myanmar decried the bill as a violation of human rights, including “the rights to freedom of expression, data protection and privacy, and other democratic principles and human rights in the online space.” Some proposed offenses carry up to three years in prison and heavy fines. As social media has emerged as another battleground, going hand-in-hand with recent demonstrations, activists are not only targeted offline, but also online.Ī new cybersecurity law proposed by Myanmar’s military, mandates that internet service providers remove online content “causing hate, disrupting the unity, stabilization and peace” of Myanmar. Together with the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, ADA has recently produced a toolkit on online privacy to protect activists and civil society in the region concerned about internet safety. However, “the longer the military dictatorship lasts, the more human rights will be lost in Myanmar,” ADA warns. “Civil society organizations have had a long experience living and working under military rule and the challenges that it brings,” says Daniel Santos do Carmo of FONGTIL, the Timor Leste NGO Forum. February 28 was the deadliest day yet, with at least 18 people killed when security forces opened fire on protesters. Photo by Ben Small.Ĭoncerns are growing, however, over the potential for violence and digital attacks as anti-coup protesters urge supporters to take to the streets en masse, while military generals deploy troops in major cities. The first week of street protests in Yangon, Myanmar following the military coup of February 1, 2021. “Let’s gather in millions to take down the dictators,” activist Khin Sandar writes on Facebook, hugely popular in the country, and which has been used as a channel to share “counter-propaganda,” tactics and slogans. “Even though the military is trying to arrest people, the number of protesters in Myanmar is multiplying,” the Asia Development Alliance (ADA) reports. In recent weeks we have witnessed with our own eyes and ears a climate of growing intimidation, with legal and regulatory restrictions, stigmatization, and personal attacks blossoming in the face of fierce protest – both online and offline. “People Will Not Be Silenced”: Protests With a Digital Twist #POLITICATS OFFLINR FULL#Get the NewsletterĪ recent report by Forus, with data from 27 countries, shows that civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and environmentalists are subject to numerous forms of harassment.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. ![]() Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. But we are witnessing a curtailing of this fundamental collective right, with governments instead adopting resistance and violence in the face of activism. They are bottom-up, rising from the roots of society, its foundations, with students, mothers, and farmers, who look into each other’s eyes and remember that despite their differences, they are all equals in their right to protest.Įvery person has the inalienable right – a right that cannot be taken away – to take part in a peaceful protest. In Indonesia, activists fight against cyber surveillance and stigmatization.įrom Nepal to Myanmar, what seem to be movements motivated by separate interests, have one thing in common: They are driven by citizens calling for justice and recognition. In India, demonstrations of unprecedented scope are raging across the country – “ farmer protests,” cutting across religion, gender, caste, and income divides for the rights of the most vulnerable and precious, those who provide us with food. In Kathmandu, women march to demand an end to violence and the “deep-rooted patriarchal mindset.” Car horns blare and cooking pots bang in the streets of Yangon, a cacophony calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. From Kathmandu to Delhi, moving east to Bangkok and Yangon, a wave of discontent is demanding that human rights be upheld. Once again, hundreds of thousands are taking to the streets and to digital highways. ![]()
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