YDS 2021 in Review

In October, the Associated Press
published an interview with a former
Tatmadaw officer that highlighted that the
use of torture is an established and
widespread tactic of the junta, and has
been used more frequently since April. It
has also been applied indiscriminately,
targeting teenagers (and younger
children) and Buddhist monks, in an
attempt to silence anti-military agitators
or under the pretence of settling scores.
The detention centres used for these
activities provided the perfect
environment for the transmission of
COVID-19, which further enhanced the
human suffering facilitated by the junta.
Nearly 500 NLD members have been
arrested since the coup in February.
These admissions of systematic torture of
prisoners align with earlier reporting of
NLD members being declared dead days
after arrest. Complimenting this regime of
political oppression is the ongoing show
trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. While Suu Kyi’s
legacy as a politician is flawed, she has
been a consistent symbol of change and
hope for democracy in Myanmar.
Consequently, the junta aims to
delegitimise her by accusing her of
electoral fraud and throwing on a variety
of other charges such as inciting public
unrest, illegal importation of walkietalkies,
and breaking COVID-19
regulations. The cumulative sentencing of
all these charges would see the 76 year
old spend 102 years in prison.
As the junta struggles to control the
narrative building around them, the
Tatmadaw also arrested a second foreign
national. American journalist, Danny
Fenster, was detained while attempting to
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