UN human rights experts on Tuesday condemned Myanmar military junta’s attempts to establish a “digital dictatorship” by imposing restrictions on access to the internet, internet shutdowns, and online censorship.

“The international community must not stand quietly by while the people of Myanmar are systematically denied their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy, which are guaranteed by international human rights law,” said the experts in a statement released from Geneva.

“Online access to information is a matter of life and death for many people in Myanmar, including those seeking safety from indiscriminate attacks by the military and the millions trying to navigate a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis. The junta is using internet shutdowns and invasive surveillance to undermine widespread public opposition and prop up its attacks on the people of Myanmar.”

They urged UN member states to condemn the junta's restrictions on fundamental freedoms, both online and offline, and to impose targeted sanctions on the military and military-related companies, including restrictions on the sale or supply of dual-use surveillance technology.

They also asked UN member states and international donors to support civil society initiatives to counter censorship and surveillance in Myanmar.

Following the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup in Myanmar, the junta imposed rolling nationwide internet blackouts and blocked access to social media and messaging platforms, the statement said, adding that more recently, the junta has imposed targeted internet shutdowns in areas where it faces strong resistance from opposition groups.

Since last August, 31 townships in seven states and regions have experienced internet shutdowns, with a further 23 townships experiencing the throttling of internet speeds, the readout said.

“Internet restrictions are being used by the junta as a cloak to hide its ongoing atrocities,” said the experts. “The barriers to internet access impede efforts by journalists, human rights monitors and humanitarian organizations to collect evidence of human rights violations committed by the military or serve at risk populations.”

They added that “the lack of connectivity in large parts of the country also poses a challenge to our mandates, which depend on the collection of contemporaneous evidence of human rights abuses.”

The experts are Thomas Andrews, special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar; Irene Khan, special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; Ana Brian Nougreres, special rapporteur on the right to privacy; and Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, special rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association./agencies