5/22/22, 9:02 PM Halfway there: Myanmar’s difficult transition toward freedom of expression | Heinrich Böll Stiftung About the author Nay Phone Latt is a blogger and activist who co-founded the Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO). He was arrested in January 2008 and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for his alleged involvement in spreading news during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. He was released in January 2012 as part of a mass presidential pardon of political prisoners. After his imprisonment, he received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Currently, he is serving as a Yangon Region luttaw member of parliament. In 2004, the government created a legal basis for these moves with the Electronic Transactions Law, which handed down severe punishments for citizens who communicated with the world using technology and the internet. Section 33(a) of the law threatened dissidents with seven to fifteen years in prison for conducting anti-government activities online. After a series of political and economic protests and demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in 2007, which came to be known as the Saffron Revolution, the junta frequently used this law to punish political activists in 2008. Many politicians were imprisoned for several terms and thereby silenced. For example, the 88 Generation student leaders – Min Ko Naing, Ko Jimmy, Htay Kywe, and Ko Ko Gyi – were each sentenced to 60-year prison terms on four charges. Similarly, the famous comedian Zarganar was sentenced to a 45-year prison term on three charges. Among many others, I was also sentenced to a 20.5-year prison term. Under Section 33(a) of the Electronic Transactions Law, charges were pressed against me for my online blogging. However, I am certain that my participation in the Saffron Revolution as well as my connections to the 88 Generation played a part in my arrest. The change of government stimulated freedom of expression Thanks to the great efforts undertaken by Myanmar citizens, freedom-loving foreigners, international organizations, local and foreign activists, and the media, Myanmar began to change in 2008. The junta held a referendum to approve the “2008 Constitution,” and a multi-party election was held in 2010. However, the main opposition party, the National League For Democracy (NLD), did not participate in the election because its leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was still under house arrest. Instead, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, which was comprised of many retired military generals, won the majority of parliamentary seats. With the new government having moved away somewhat from the strict measures of the “old days,” policy changes began to appear in 2010 and the government began to loosen its grip on some parts of society, despite the fact that the top government officials in 2010 were the same ones as in the previous period. During this time, big changes were also being implemented in the information and communication technology sector. Formerly banned websites were unblocked. Bloggers no longer had to use proxy sites to access blogs. A new era of digital freedom began and Myanmar citizens could open two or three different Facebook accounts without fearing persecution. The cost of a SIM card fell from about $3,000 to $1.50. People started buying mobile phones and no longer needed to use public phones. Furthermore, privately owned media emerged in Myanmar. Even formerly exiled media organizations returned to the country. After a long time, Myanmar citizens were able to enjoy the first tender buds of freedom of expression. https://www.boell.de/en/2018/02/07/halfway-there-myanmars-difficult-transition-toward-freedom-expression 2/4