NEW EXPRESSION MEETS OLD REPRESSION ENDING THE CYCLE OF POLITICAL ARRESTS AND IMPRISONMENT IN MYANMAR Since it came to power in March 2011, the government in Myanmar has embarked on a major transition from five decades of authoritarian military rule towards a more open political system. A series of economic, political and social reforms have included a welcome relaxation of restrictions to freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly and the release of hundreds of prisoners of conscience. However, despite these reforms, activists continue to face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for their peaceful activities. As people have become more assertive of their rights, the authorities have used a range of tactics to keep human rights defenders and activists behind bars. A worrying resurgence in the use of repressive laws has fostered an environment in which they are at constant risk of arrest for their work. The landslide victory won by the opposition National League for Democracy in the November 2015 elections offers a fresh opportunity for further reforms. This report – New expression meets old repression: Ending the cycle of political arrests and imprisonment in Myanmar – highlights the pattern of politically motivated arrest and imprisonment since the start of 2014. It offers concrete recommendations to the new government to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and to put an end to the repressive practices which fuel arbitrary arrests and imprisonment. Index: ASA 16/3430/2016 March 2016 amnesty.org