Censorship in Myanmar

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Censorship in Myanmar (also called Burma) results from government policies in controlling and regulating certain information, particularly on religious, ethnic, political, and moral grounds.

Freedom of speech and the press are not guaranteed by law. Many colonial-era laws regulating the press and information continue to be used. Until August 2012, every publication (including newspaper articles, cartoons, advertisements, and illustrations) required pre-approval by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRB) of the Ministry of Information.[1][2] However, the 2011–2012 Burmese political reforms signalled significant relaxations of the country's censorship policies and in August 2012 the Ministry of Information lifted the requirement that print media organisations submit materials to the government prior to publication.[3]

Burma ranked 151st of 179 nations in the 2012–2013 worldwide Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders.[4] As of 2023 Myanmar is considered one of the least free countries in the world in terms of censorship. Freedom House scores it a mere 9 out of 100 on the Global Freedom Index and categorizes it as “not free.”[5]

  1. ^ Wai Phyo Myint (1 August 2005). "Publishing rebounds". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  2. ^ "Burma - Annual report 2011-2012". Reporters Without Borders. 2011–2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC-August2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Press Freedom Index 2013" Archived 15 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders
  5. ^ "Myanmar: Freedom on the Net 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 10 May 2023.