The military council leader Min Aung Hlaing has signed an announcement suspending several crucial provisions from the law protecting citizens’ personal freedom and security. The announcement states that Sections 5, 7, and 8 of the law have been suspended. This law was originally enacted during the National League for Democracy government under President U Htin Kyaw’s administration to protect citizens’ rights and personal security.
Section 5, which has been suspended, required that when conducting searches or arrests at any residence, room, building, or premises, there must be at least two witnesses present, including either the ward or village tract administrator, official in charge, or ten-household leader. With the suspension of this section, military council troops can now enter and search any premises without requiring witnesses.
Section 7 stipulated that no person could be detained for more than 24 hours without court permission. Additionally, Section 8 prohibited searching, arresting, or seizing property in citizens’ homes, rooms, buildings, or premises without either a legal permit, permission, warrant, or authorization from the President or Union Government. These protections have now been removed through the suspension of these sections.
Since the military coup, the military council forces have been widely violating these legal provisions, conducting arbitrary arrests, torture, and killings of civilians. The suspension of these legal sections will now make it easier for military council forces to conduct illegal detentions, house raids, and property seizures, further eroding citizens’ rights to personal freedom and security. This move represents a significant deterioration in the legal protections previously available to Myanmar’s civilians and effectively legalizes the military council’s ongoing violations of citizens’ basic rights and freedoms.
