1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY “One of the most significant progresses that Myanmar has made in its new era is in the area of freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. No one is arrested or charged for simply exercising their rights peacefully.” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press release, 12 August 2015.1 “In 2012 and 2013 the situation seemed better and more flexible but in 2014 and 2015 people started being charged and jailed again, for example the students, the farmers, the unions, media... This keeps people busy with working for their release and for supporting their families.” Thet Thet Aung, former prisoner of conscience, July 2015.2 Thet Thet Aung’s words speak to the worrying erosion of newly found freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Myanmar, a country which has seen rapid transformation in the last five years, as it moves from five decades of repressive and authoritarian military rule towards a more open political system. Since the quasi-civilian government of President Thein Sein came to power in March 2011, Myanmar has embarked on a series of key economic, political and social reforms. The reforms have been accompanied by a number of measures to show that the country is on the path to promoting the rule of law and ensuring better respect and protection for human rights. Key among these measures, and often cited as one of the hallmarks of the country’s transition to date, has been the relaxation of some of the restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly through the passing of new laws and the release of hundreds of individuals imprisoned on politically motivated grounds. 1 2 Press release, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published in The Global New Light of Myanmar, 13 August 2015. Amnesty International interview, July 2015. NEW EXPRESSION MEETS OLD REPRESSION ENDING THE CYCLE OF POLITICAL ARRESTS AND IMPRISONMENT IN MYANMAR Amnesty International 6