There Are No Appeals Against Convictions Under Myanmar’s Strict New Laws

Yangon
Myanmar’s junta has implemented strict new restrictions in resistance hotspots, under which anybody accused of treason and spreading false news would be punished by a military court. No appeals will be accepted for verdicts rendered by military tribunals in the 37 townships impacted by the measures, with the exception of the death penalty, which requires the approval of junta head Min Aung Hlaing.
Since Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was overthrown in a coup in 2021, Myanmar has been in turmoil as a result of a crackdown on dissent that caused violence in large portions of the country. The most recent declaration indicates the junta is seeking fresh approaches to crush opposition in regions where anti-coup forces are active. The extension was carried out “to execute more effective efforts for ensuring security, the rule of law, and local peace and tranquility. A ban on spreading false news, which the army has used to imprison scores of journalists, will be replaced by military tribunals hearing criminal cases ranging from high treason to it.
In certain regions, Junta troops have frequently engaged in combat with existing ethnic rebel groups as well as anti-coup People’s Defence Forces. There were already similar rules in place in at least another 11 townships, including five in Mandalay and six in Yangon, the country’s second-largest metropolis.
The choice was made a day after the rule of emergency was extended for another six months, delaying the elections the junta had promised to hold by the end of August. In remarks carried by state media on Wednesday, Junta commander Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged that more than a third of the nation’s townships are not completely under military authority. According to a local monitoring organization, more than 2,900 people have died as a result of the military’s crackdown on the opposition, and over 17,000 people have been detained.