Myanmar junta detains over 90 people for ‘disrupting’ election process

Film directors Zabu Htun Thet Lwin and Aung Yay Chan, both detained by the junta in connection with the regime’s crackdown on artists accused of criticising the upcoming election. (Photo: Social Media)

The junta has arrested more than 90 civilians in recent weeks, including minors and artists, accusing them of disrupting and obstructing its general elections.Junta police accused them of defacing campaign banners, verbally abusing local election commission officials, and posting critical comments on social media in relation to a junta-produced election film that many critics claim is propaganda.

According to the junta, several people were detained across multiple regions between late October and early November, including residents of Yangon, Ayeyarwady, and Karen State. Those arrested ranged in age from 15 to their late 40s and were accused of acts such as vandalising campaign materials.In late October, the junta detained five musical performers and three film directors under recently enacted election laws that criminalise criticism of the regime’s planned polls.On July 29, the junta-appointed election commission amended Myanmar’s key electoral laws to criminalise “false. . .