Impact on Internet Freedoms Despite the harassment faced, as well as the additional risks women face in Myanmar’s patriarchal society, women have been at the forefront of various pro-democracy movements. These include the 1988 Uprising and Saffron Revolution of 2007. Women are once again visible at the forefront of the CDM and have made effective use of social media to mobilise against the forcibly imposed military rule. Female journalists such as Naw Betty Han and Nyein Lay, despite the increased risks present due to them being female, continue to report on-going developments of the coup (Aye, 2021). A growing feminist movement #Sisters2Sisters has been started by activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi to raise awareness of the excessive violence and force used against women by the junta. Through this movement, over 80 civil society organisations have been advocating for the junta to end their tenure of violence in the country, as well as release imprisoned female HRDs (Aye, 2021). Such movements have also allowed individuals outside Myanmar to better understand the treatment of women during the coup. However, due to the on-going internet shutdowns and restrictions, people in Myanmar may not be able to access these movements as effectively. The use of the internet to report the on-going coup has also enabled the recognition of women’s participation in Myanmar’s politics and pro-democracy movements. Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, a 19-year old female, was the first protester who died due to military violence. Her image has since become something akin to a martyr, an important defining motif for the CDM, depicted in posters around Myanmar and shared widely online (Head, 2021). Though male activists are still more prevalent than their female counterparts in the protest movement, the fact that women are so visible in the CDM is a testament to their important role. As of May 2021, around 800 women have faced arrest and 50 have been killed in the protests (Aye, 2021). The presence of female activists has only grown over the past years, portraying a change in mindset in a society where gender norms repeatedly perpetuate the inferiority of females compared to male counterparts, rather than a society where women are treated no differently than men. The attack on internet freedoms has intensified following the February 2021 coup, especially in response to the use of the internet to mobilise the masses in movements and protests against military rule. These attacks are a culmination of attempts over the last 10 years since the internet became publicly available in Myanmar to limit and control the civic space present online. Access to information, freedom of expression and rights to privacy have been seriously infringed upon, and progress made in the telecommunications infrastructure and internet freedoms area has severely eroded. Despite the severe restrictions in place on internet access and use, individuals in Myanmar remain resilient and have found ways to skirt around these controls to continue advocating for pro-democracy reforms. In the next section, a set of recommendations are formulated, taking into account the pre and post-coup environment. 0 20 6