Human Rights Myanmar warns of widespread abuses ahead of 2025 ‘sham election’

Mizzima

In a statement released on 8 October, Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) described the Myanmar junta’s upcoming election as a “strategic component of its war against the people,” not a democratic exercise. The rights group warned that the vote, expected late this year, will be marked by systematic repression and manipulation designed to entrench military rule.

The military junta has already laid the groundwork for large-scale rights abuses through new laws and crackdowns on dissent, the rights group alleges. HRM cited the 2025 “Law Protecting Against the Obstruction, Hindrance, and Destruction of Multiparty Democratic General Elections” as a tool being used to arrest critics, activists, and journalists under vague charges of “disrupting” the electoral process.

The group said fundamental rights required for genuine elections – including freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly – have been “systematically violated.” The junta’s 2023 Political Parties Registration Law has already dissolved major opposition parties such as the National League for Democracy (NLD) and disqualified candidates through politically motivated convictions.