Burma’s broadly worded Contempt of Courts Law, enacted in 2013, has also been used to penalize reporting on matters of public interest. The law defines criminal contempt to mean intentionally proclaiming, reporting as news, printing or distributing any information that:

1. disgraces or is likely to disgrace the power of the court conferred by law;
2. affects, meddles in, or disturbs the honest discharge of duties by the court;
3. by any means diminishes the public trust in an honest and independent judicial inquiry; or
4. criticizes, writes, prints, or distributes any matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the court prior to the verdict.

Violations of the law can be punished by up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 kyat (US$83) or both. The purpose of criminal contempt laws is to prevent interference with the administration of justice. While there is no doubt that courts can restrict speech where that is necessary for the orderly functioning of the court system, the Contempt of Courts Law is too broadly worded to be limited to that purpose and should be amended to narrow its scope.

More information

“They Can Arrest You at Any Time, The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Burma” by Human Rights Watch