Myanmar junta’s disinformation campaigns pose grave threat to human rights, says report

Mizzima

A new report by Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) submitted to the UN Human Rights Council warns that the Myanmar military is systematically deploying disinformation as a weapon to consolidate power, suppress dissent, and violate fundamental human rights.

The report, Disinformation as a Weapon in Myanmar, outlines how the military junta has constructed an elaborate network of state-controlled media, covert online proxies, and psychological operations units to dominate the flow of information since the February 2021 coup.

According to HRM, the junta’s tactics include the dissemination of false narratives through state outlets like MRTV and Myawaddy TV, the manipulation of digital platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and TikTok, and the orchestration of coordinated smear campaigns against political opponents and minority groups.