The military council has sentenced Ko Nay Thway from Taunggyi to seven years imprisonment with labor under the election interference law for criticizing the security situation regarding a car robbery in Lashio, Northern Shan State. The incident occurred on August 23 at around 6:30 PM in Ward 5 of Lashio city, where two men on a motorcycle robbed a local woman’s car at gunpoint. Following this incident, Ko Nay Thway wrote on social media criticizing the lack of security in Lashio, stating that while the military council was pushing people to vote, they were neglecting security matters.
The military council claimed that Ko Nay Thway’s posts on his Facebook account ‘Lashio Baegyi’ were intended to disrupt the 2025 general election. They charged him under Section 23(a) of the Law on Protection against Interference in the Multi-party Democratic General Election. The military council announced that as of September 2, they had taken action in three cases related to alleged online election disruption attempts. The law stipulates that anyone who attempts to disrupt the election process through speeches, organizing, incitement, protests, or written distribution can face imprisonment from a minimum of three years to a maximum of seven years, along with possible fines.
The military council enacted this new law on July 29 to protect their planned 2025 election, with penalties ranging from a minimum of three years imprisonment to life imprisonment and death sentences for those found guilty of interfering with the election. The law establishes election security committees from the central level down to township levels. The legislation specifically prohibits any form of speech, organization, incitement, protest, or written distribution that could disrupt the election process. The military council has made it clear that violations of these prohibitions will be met with severe penalties, demonstrating their intent to maintain strict control over any discourse or activities related to the upcoming election.
