Nine Myanmar Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced to Up to 37 Years

Myanmar's military-backed authorities have sentenced nine pro-democracy activists to lengthy prison terms for participating in a peaceful protest calling for a boycott of last December's elections, in a move that has intensified concerns over the country's human rights record and shrinking democratic space.

According to the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay, eight activists, including prominent campaigner Htet Myat Aung, were sentenced to 37 years in prison, while a ninth activist received 27 years. The convictions were handed down by courts in Mandalay under Myanmar's electoral law and counterterrorism law.

The activists were arrested after staging a flash protest on December 3, urging citizens to reject the elections, abolish the military conscription law and release political prisoners detained since the 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Committee spokesperson May Hnin said the activists would not appeal the verdicts, arguing they had little faith in the judicial process under military rule. She said the harsh sentences were intended to intimidate the public and suppress peaceful dissent, reinforcing the junta's hold on power.

The military-backed government has not commented on the verdicts. Myanmar's electoral law, introduced last year, allows penalties of up to the death penalty for acts deemed to oppose or disrupt elections. More than 200 people were charged under the law before the December polls, which opposition groups and independent observers said were neither free nor fair because major opposition parties were excluded.

The convictions come as Myanmar continues to face political turmoil and armed conflict following the 2021 coup. Human rights groups say thousands of people have been arrested, detained or prosecuted for opposing military rule. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), 31,596 people have been arrested since the coup, with more than 14,000 still in detention, highlighting the military's ongoing crackdown on activists and the continued erosion of democracy, civil liberties and human rights in the country.