Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support freedom of expression in Myanmar in the context of the Myanmar military’s restrictions on independent media.

We are concerned by the recent UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report, which stated since the coup in February 2021 that 15 media outlets have been shut down and 193 media workers arrested, of whom at least 57 remain in detention. The UK continues to support organisations, such as Myanmar Witness, to collect independent, verifiable data, foster collaboration with independent media outlets and counter the military's mis and disinformation. This work continues to increase attention on human rights abuses across the country. We also continue to call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar, including those who worked in the media.