Myanmar has been under military rule since a February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta, led by Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, has suppressed dissent and taken control of the state, with acting President Myint Swe installed as a figurehead.
The country’s post-independence history has been marked by unrest and conflict, including long-standing struggles for ethnic autonomy. In 2017, a military crackdown in Rakhine state drove over half a million Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh, described by the United Nations as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Since the coup, the military has tightened its grip on media. According to Reporters Without Borders, the junta “tolerates no alternative to its narrative” and has banned outspoken outlets. By the end of 2022, Myanmar had the third-highest number of imprisoned journalists globally, after Iran and China, said the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The junta’s rule follows decades of military dominance since 1962, when General Ne Win seized power. Despite a brief period of liberalisation and elections in 2015 that brought Aung San Suu Kyi’s party to power, the military retained significant influence, ultimately reclaiming full control in 2021.
