Unfinished Freedom
A Blueprint for the Future of Free Expression in Myanmar
PEN America Experts:
Director, Writers at Risk, PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center
Unfinished Freedom: A Blueprint for the Future of Free Expression in Myanmar surveys the rocky landscape for media and public discourse since the ruling military junta lifted the curtain on the southeast Asian nation in 2012 after five decades of isolation from the modern world. The report finds that, while the elimination of Myanmar’s notorious system of blanket pre-publication censorship has led many to believe that free expression constraints are a thing of the past, a series of weak protections, restrictive laws, and intrusive bureaucratic structures continue to chill expression and threaten the people of Myanmar’s newfound and fragile freedom.
As Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) prepares to take office with a strong majority next year, it must prioritize concrete steps to safeguard free expression as a fortifying pillar of Myanmar’s nascent democracy. Unfinished Freedom provides a road map for the new government to solidify protections, counter hate speech, and guarantee political space for peaceful dissent as a healthy component of any free society.
An abridged version of this report is also available in Burmese.