Myanmar’s junta turns election into a weapon of fear and repression

As Myanmar approached the first round of junta-imposed elections on December 28, 2025, the country faced an alarming escalation of human rights abuses. The military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has leveraged the electoral process to intensify repression, turning the election into a tool for silencing dissent and consolidating control. Amnesty International has highlighted unlawful attacks that could amount to war crimes, a sharp rise in arbitrary detentions, and a severe crackdown on freedom of expression. The election, far from being a democratic exercise, has become a mechanism for the junta to tighten its grip on power and suppress any form of opposition.

In July, the Myanmar military enacted the Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections, which criminalizes criticism of the election or election workers. Under this law, acts as simple as questioning the election or attempting to incite unrest can carry sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment, with the death penalty even possible. Amnesty International has described this legislation as a deliberate weapon to eliminate criticism and entrench military authority. As Joe Freeman, Amnesty International's Myanmar researcher, notes, the contrast with the 2015 and 2020 nationwide democratic elections could not be starker. Where previous elections offered hope, peace, and respect for human rights, today's environment is defined by arrests, surveillance, and systematic violations of civilians' rights.

Repressive measures against dissent have intensified in the lead-up to the vote. Individuals expressing opposition through social media, art, or even anti-election stickers have faced arrest. Since the law's implementation, at least 229 people have been charged, including artists and activists who simply voiced criticism. One case involved a man in Shan State sentenced to seven years of hard labor for criticizing the election, while others have been detained for posting critical messages online or for damaging election billboards. In Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, residents have reportedly been coerced into voting under threat of losing aid, highlighting the junta's desperate attempts to give legitimacy to an election widely regarded as fraudulent.

Martial law further complicates the situation. Of Myanmar's 330 townships, roughly 56 are under martial law and will not hold voting. The National League for Democracy, which won the 2015 and 2020 elections, has been dissolved, and its leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, remain in detention. For many observers, this election is less a democratic exercise than a means to entrench the very forces responsible for the 2021 coup. Since that takeover, the military has killed at least 7,000 civilians, with true numbers likely much higher. In areas controlled by armed resistance, the military has escalated airstrikes in a desperate effort to reclaim territory, causing widespread civilian casualties and devastating essential infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.

Civilian lives continue to be caught in the crossfire of military aggression. Amnesty International has documented multiple instances of attacks that could constitute war crimes, including airstrikes on civilian areas. One attack in central Myanmar saw military forces drop mortars on a festival crowd protesting the election, resulting in numerous deaths, including children. Just days later, a hospital in Mrauk-U township in Rakhine State was bombed, part of a disturbing pattern of strikes on hospitals, schools, and other vital services across the country since the coup.

Amnesty International has called on the international community to take urgent action against the junta's human rights violations. Recommendations include suspending jet fuel shipments used to power military aircraft and urging the International Criminal Court to expedite arrest warrants for top military leaders, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seeks to assume civilian leadership after the election. Global attention is vital as the junta continues to undermine the possibility of a peaceful and just Myanmar. The military's claims of conducting a democratic election ring hollow in the face of widespread arrests, violent crackdowns, and ongoing attacks on civilians.

Myanmar's crisis, now in its fifth year, shows little sign of resolution. The junta's efforts to consolidate power through this election have deepened the nation's suffering, even as armed resistance groups, pro-democracy forces, and ordinary citizens continue to resist. With each passing day, the human cost of the military's ambitions grows, moving the country further from peace, justice, and the democratic hope that once inspired its people. Amnesty International's call for international action is a stark reminder that the people of Myanmar cannot be left to endure this latest wave of brutality and repression alone.