An explosion of court cases brought under section 66(d) of Burma’s Telecommunications Law since the National League for Democracy government took power in April 2016 has focused growing scrutiny on the controversial legislation, which was enacted in 2013.
Among advocates of reform, the question boils down to whether the section — making defamation through use of a telecommunications network illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison — should be amended or repealed entirely.
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In this DVB Debate, which originally aired on 18 June, our panelists trade views on the merits of the 66(d) provision, and offer their advice to lawmakers weighing changes to the law; just last week, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters that the NLD-dominated legislature was considering amendments, though she did not elaborate on what those amendments might be.
This video has been edited down from its original 45-minute broadcast. The full episode, in Burmese, can be viewed in three parts — here, here and here.