Myanmar junta uses election laws to crush dissent against sham election, says watchdog

Mizzima

The Myanmar junta made use of election laws, digital surveillance and sweeping security measures to intensify repression and silence dissent around what rights groups describe as “sham elections,” according to a new report by global civil society watchdog CIVICUS.

Five years after the February 2021 coup, Myanmar’s civic space remains “closed,” with thousands of activists, journalists and ordinary citizens detained, tortured or killed, the CIVICUS Monitor said in a report released on 6 February.

Held in three phases in December 2025 and January 2026, civil society groups and UN experts have rejected the elections as illegitimate.

The report says the junta has weaponised its election framework to criminalise criticism of polls. A new Election Protection Law, adopted in 2025, allows prison sentences ranging from three years to life – or even the death penalty – for opposing or “undermining” the vote.

CIVICUS documented at least 335 people charged under the law for actions including social media posts, distributing stickers or voicing opposition slogans. Media outlets and civil society organisations have also been targeted, while campaign rallies were banned and journalists faced severe restrictions, the report said.

Voting conditions were highly constrained. Major opposition parties were barred, many townships were under martial law, and millions of people were displaced by ongoing fighting, preventing voting. Nonetheless, the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed a landslide victory in January.

The report also highlights a broader pattern of repression, including airstrikes on civilian targets, mass displacement and attacks on religious sites. UN figures cited by CIVICUS indicate more than 7,100 people have been killed by the military since the coup, with nearly 30,000 arrested on political grounds.

More broadly, the junta has tightened control over digital space, deploying surveillance systems with the help of foreign technology providers and prosecuting critics for online activity. Civil society groups say these measures have enabled transnational repression and data-driven targeting of activists.

CIVICUS urged the international community to reject the junta’s electoral claims and increase pressure on actors enabling repression. It warned that the vote was not aimed at restoring democracy, but rather to manufacture legitimacy for continued military rule.