Myanmar Courts Hand Down Up to 37-Year Prison Terms for Election-Boycott Activists

Two courts in Mandalay sentenced eight activists, including prominent figure Htet Myat Aung, to 37 years in prison and a ninth activist to 27 years. The convictions were based on violations of the 2023 electoral law and the counter-terrorism law. The activists were arrested after staging a flash protest in downtown Mandalay in early December that called for a boycott of the national election, the abolition of the military conscription law, and the release of political prisoners detained following the 2021 military takeover. The group said they will not appeal, believing the verdicts cannot be overturned.

Myanmar courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest UsNews and World Report

The electoral law, enacted in July of the previous year by the former military government, allows penalties up to the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts elections. More than 200 individuals had been charged under this law before the December election, which the Union Solidarity and Development Party—backed by the military—won amid accusations that the vote was neither free nor fair. The protest reflected ongoing resistance to the military’s grip on power, which has escalated into a civil war since the 2021 coup.

Myanmar courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest

She added that the military-backed government has not issued any public comment on the rulings.

Myanmar courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest

“These sentences are proof that a government that came to power through a sham election can never establish a federal democratic system,” — May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay

Myanmar courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks repression-related arrests, reported that 31,596 people have been arrested since the 2021 takeover, with more than 14,000 still detained. These figures illustrate the broader climate of mass arrests accompanying the military’s crackdown on dissent.

Myanmar courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest