78 Hate Speech Ignited: Understanding Hate Speech in Myanmar and suppression has chilled speech, divided civil society, and discouraged activists who would otherwise seek to build tolerance and inclusions. To start, CSOs have been met with difficulty registering their organizations and activities, as the government frequently denies them permission to host events, conferences, and trainings.508 One CSO documented government bans on peaceful assemblies and gatherings in 11 townships of Yangon in November of 2017, for example.509 As a result, organizations working on the issue of hate speech and other sensitive topics have been forced to “keep a low profile.”510 One activist explained the recent shift in circumstances: In the past, we could organize meetings or workshops in villages with the understand- ing of village headmen; we didn’t need any permission from the authorities. Now, the authorities require us to have “permission” if we organize any activities. It is not easy to get permission. It is really sad as the government doesn’t even allow the workshops or discussions like this [on hate speech] to take place freely. It becomes a huge challenge for us.511 CSOs and HRDs also spoke of increased government surveillance, including Sa Ah Pa (Office of Military Security Affairs) visits to their offices to ask about their work: “The more we talk about sensitive issues like peace and human rights for all, the more we’re being watched,” one interviewee said.512 Other groups have noticed being monitored after partaking in protests, as well.513 Closing Civil Society Space Below are a few examples of the consequences for individuals or groups who have challenged the Tatmadaw or ultranationalists, or spoken out on behalf of ethnic and religious minorities (spanning 2017 to 2020): „„ U Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and legal advisor to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD, was assassinated at the Yangon International Airport in January 2017.514 He had been advo- cating for Constitutional reforms to remove the military’s role in government.515 As one of Myanmar’s leading lawyers, he found the legal solution to circumvent the Constitutional bar that prohibited Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming President and instead enabled her to become the State Counsellor.516 A trial that took more than two years found Kyi Linand his conspirators, Aung Win Zaw, Aung Win Tun, and Zeya Phyo, all ex-military officers, guilty of 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 Ibid. Athan, Mid-Term Report on Freedom of Expression (October 28, 2018), 101, https://equalitymyanmar.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mid-term-Report-on-Freedom-of-Expression-Eng-Version.pdf. Ibid; 002-R3-02, 1. 001-R2-01, 1 FGD (December 2019); 002-R3-01 p.2 See, e.g., 002-R4-04, 1 “Myanmar: Leading Lawyer Ko Ni Assassinated at Yangon Airport,” BBC News, January 30, 2017, https://www.bbc. co.uk/news/world-asia-38788669. Ibid. Ibid.