Myanmar Regime Escalates Assault on Free Press Critical of Its Rule

Myanmar’s military regime has intensified its threats against independent media critical of its rule, vowing to eliminate outlets and journalists regardless of their location.

An editorial in the junta’s mouthpiece Kyemon on Monday urged the “elimination of any destructive element inside or outside the country,” echoing the Home Affairs Ministry’s threats last week.

On October 6, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Major‑General Min Thu told parliament the regime has opened cases against independent media outlets The Irrawaddy, Mizzima, DVB, Myanmar Now, and Khit Thit under the Counter‑Terrorism Law, Telecommunications Law, and Penal Code. He claimed the regime was coordinating with international law enforcement including Interpol and Aseanapol to detain staff working for these organizations.

Interpol bans any interventions on political grounds while Aseanapol’s focus is limited to transnational crimes.

The Kyemon editorial stated that anyone inside or outside the country who “disrupts peace, stability, and development, undermines national sovereignty, prestige, and unity, or obstructs the administrative mechanism must be eliminated.”

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing branded outlets reporting his military’s mass-killing of civilians as “nation‑destroying media” during his October 13 trip to Dawei, claiming they were misleading the public. “Those outlets do not want to see national development,” said the president, whose February 2021 coup plunged the country into turmoil.

The putsch was followed by a brutal crackdown, targeting not only peaceful protesters but also media documenting the military’s abuses. The regime revoked licenses, raided offices, and arrested scores of journalists, forcing independent outlets into exile. After establishing itself as one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists, it is now seeking to target exiled media.

Independent media groups emphasize that journalism is not a crime and note that Interpol does not act on political requests. “Interpol does not intervene in political or religious cases. Only genuine criminal matters are considered,” said Toe Zaw Latt, secretary of the Independent Press Council of Myanmar. He added that while the regime may attempt to link reporting with criminal activities, such requests are weeded out by Interpol. “So, there is no need to worry, but we should still monitor the situation carefully.”

Lower House Speaker Khin Yi—who as former dictator Than Shwe’s police chief led deadly crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators—has advised the Home Affairs Ministry that criminal cases must be concocted to pursue arrests abroad.

The junta’s warning comes as its propaganda apparatus struggles to discredit the resistance movement while concealing its own war crimes. Circulation of regime newspapers has sharply declined since the coup, and junta news outlets have been barred from multiple social media platforms.

A Yangon street vendor said demand for state‑owned newspapers is practically non-existent, except for once a month when lottery results are printed.

The junta’s threats come as it faces ongoing international isolation. ASEAN has barred Min Aung Hlaing from summits since the coup for failing to implement its peace plan, while he is wanted on an international arrest warrant issued by Argentina over the Rohingya genocide. Rights groups have repeatedly called on Interpol to arrest the coup leader during his overseas trips.

On Wednesday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Exiled Myanmar Journalists Network (Exiled-MJN), condemned the regime’s threats as a blatant abuse of international policing mechanisms.

“Myanmar’s junta will stop at nothing to try to legitimize itself in the world’s eyes and to expand its repression against the brave and determined media and journalists who continue to expose its gross violations against its own people,” IFJ stated.

According to MJN records, at least seven journalists have been killed by the regime since the coup. The International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law has documented at least 227 journalists detained by the junta, with at least 20 still in jail.