(New York, NY) — In response to news that the Myanmar military is planning to enact a new cybersecurity law, and based on a draft version of the law and analysis by partner organizations in and outside of Myanmar, PEN America’s digital freedom director Matt Bailey said the following:

“The military regime’s effort to enact restrictive new cybersecurity legislation in the immediate aftermath of a coup is an obvious attempt to gain control over the online space and silence any speech or organizing in defense of democracy that may take place there. It is essential that the space for people to communicate, receive information, and make their voices heard online be preserved. Any reforms to existing laws in Myanmar must be subject to a democratic process; at this moment, that is not possible. This law should not move forward.”