Myanmar journalists unite against 'online defamation law'

Army officials often used this law to charge activists, journalists, & other critics with defamation

More than 100 journalists in Myanmar gathered on June 6, 2017 in Yangon, the country’s capital, to plan their campaign against Section 66(d) of Myanmar's Telecommunications Law.

The law was passed in 2013 when Myanmar was still ruled by a military-backed government. It has 86 sections but the most infamous part of the law is Section 66(d) which refers to online defamation. Army officials often used this section to charge activists, journalists, and their other critics with defamation.

Section 66(d) states that whoever uses a “telecommunication network to extort, threaten, obstruct, defame, disturb, inappropriately influence, or intimidate” can be