Report No.4
Crackdown on Digital Rights: Online Expression in the
Face of Oppression in Myanmar
July 2024
This report is intended to assist policymakers and interested groups both within and outside Myanmar. The data covers the
period from February 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024.
Key Messages
•
Over the three years since the military coup,
1,691 people have been arrested due to
their online expression on social media or
online
communications
opposing
the
Myanmar military and supporting prodemocracy movements and resistance
groups.
•
The
number
of
arrests
significantly
increased in 2022 and 2023, but the rate of
arrests has decreased in 2024. In July
alone, 33 online users from 24 different
townships were arrested.
•
From February 2022 to the end of July
2024, arrests were reported across 220
townships, with the most arrests occurring
in Bago, Chanmyathazi, North Okkalapa,
Pyay, and Mahaaungmyay townships.
•
The majority of those arrested were detained
for their online expression on Facebook, though there have also been arrests related to their
online expression or online communications on online platforms such as TikTok, Telegram,
and Viber.
Key Figures
1691
202
806
36%
Total Number of Arrests
Total Number of Arrests in
2024
Total Number of Arrests in
Yangon and Mandalay
Regions
Percentage of Women in
Total Arrests