Covering the Coup: A Myanmar Journalist Reports

Chronicling events on the ground in Yangon, Arakanese freelance journalist Kyaw Hsan Hlaing documents an increasingly perilous situation for journalists in the wake of the military coup.

When my roommate woke me early on 1 February with the news that the Myanmar military had staged a coup, I knew that as a freelance journalist focused on human rights I could become a target.

I deactivated my Facebook account and requested the editor at an international news agency delete my byline from some sensitive articles. I then walked around my neighbourhood in Yangon to assess the situation. Everywhere I looked, I saw faces lined with fear and uncertainty. Read more

Myanmar Journalist Persists, Despite Death Threats

YANGON, May 3, 2021) – Four months after the coup, the Myanmar junta continues its bloody crackdown on anti-coup protesters, politicians, and media, with nearly 800 people killed and more than 3,000 arrested. In an effort to suppress information of ongoing human rights violations, the military junta shut down the internet and banned local media outlets from broadcasting coverage on mass protests and deadly attacks. On the ground, the Myanmar security forces are still detaining journalists.

“Now, in this situation, the people of Myanmar are really worrying because there have been a lot of human rights abuses—physically and psychologically—due to the Myanmar military’s killing, torturing, and arresting without a warrant daily,” said Kyaw Hsan Hlaing, a 24-year-old Myanmar journalist. “The thing I can do is to stand up for them.” Read more

25th Human Rights Press Awards (2021) Winners

The winners of the 25th Human Rights Press Awards were announced on May 6, 2021. Below is the full list of winners and merit winners in each category. Read more

People in Parts of Myanmar Are Living Under the World's Longest Internet Shutdown. It's Putting Lives in Danger

I first accessed the internet in 2014. I was 18 years old and living in my family’s home in Myanmar’s westernmost Rakhine State. After a half-century of isolation during the military junta, my country was finally opening up.

At the time, I had never traveled farther than 20 miles from my village. But when I bought my first cell phone and SIM card I could see images of distant places and access international news sites for the first time. I realized how little I knew about the world. Read more