Despite pressure from diplomats and the media, Myanmar’s parliament yesterday only passed minor reforms to the heavily criticized Telecommunication Law which criminalizes online defamation, the Anadolu Agency reported on 2 August.
The changes to the law include allowing bail for suspects and preventing third parties from filing cases.
But a proposal to do away with jail time for alleged defamatory posts on Facebook or other social media was voted down 92-59 in the upper house, dominated by lawmakers from State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party.