Myanmar courts hand up to 37‑year jail terms to protest activists
Myanmar courts sentenced nine activists for a December 4 flash protest in downtown Mandalay that urged a boycott of the December 2025‑January 2026 elections and opposed mandatory conscription. Eight activists, including prominent figure Htet Myat Aung, received 37‑year prison terms, while a ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years. The convictions were based on the country's electoral law and a counter‑terrorism law, according to May Hnin, spokesperson for the Anti‑Junta Forces Coordination Committee‑Mandalay.
The activists said they will not appeal the verdicts, believing the sentences will not be overturned. The military‑backed government has not publicly commented. The sentences come after a July 2025 law that bans speech, organizing, incitement or leafleting intended to disrupt the electoral process, under which more than 200 people were charged ahead of the election, which observers described as neither free nor fair.
Entities: Anti‑Junta Forces Coordination Committee‑Mandalay · Htet Myat Aung · May Hnin · Myanmar · Union Solidarity and Development Party
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The activists were arrested on December 4 after staging a flash protest in downtown Mandalay. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The protest called for a boycott of the elections scheduled between December 25, 2025 and January 25, 2026 and opposed mandatory conscription. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Eight activists received 37‑year sentences and one activist received a 27‑year sentence. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Nine activists were sentenced by Myanmar courts to prison terms of up to 37 years. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The convictions were under Myanmar's electoral law and counterterrorism law. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The military‑backed government has not publicly commented on the sentences. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] May Hnin, spokesperson for the Anti‑Junta Forces Coordination Committee‑Mandalay, said the sentences aim to instill fear and secure the military’s hold on power. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Activist Htet Myat Aung was among those sentenced. (All articles)