The Penal Code of Myanmar is the official

criminal code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that migh ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. The code was enacted on 1 May 1861 during

British rule in Burma ( Burmese) , conventional_long_name = Colony of Burma , common_name = Burma , era = Colonial era , event_start = First Anglo-Burmese War , year_start = 1824 , date_start = ...

and is divided into 23 chapters. The Penal Code of Myanmar is nearly identical to the

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The code was drafted on the recommendations of first law commission of India established in ...

, due to their shared origins under British rule. Sections 505(a) and 505(b) of the Penal Code are commonly used against journalists, activists, and protestors. As of 30 April 2020, 8 of the 50 convicted political prisoners were serving sentences for violating one or both of said sections. In the aftermath of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military—which then veste ...

, the military junta amended section 505(a) to criminalise "fake news" and "incitement" against the military. Lawyers who represent activists and politicians have also been charged under section 505(a). Section 377 criminalises consensual same-sex sexual conduct, and LGBT rights groups have called for the section to be abolished,

References

External links

* {{official website, 1=https://www.mlis.gov.mm/lsScPop.do?lawordSn=9506%20 Law of Myanmar Criminal codes 1861 establishments in Burma Acts of the Parliament of India 1861 in British law 1861 in law 1861 in India

See also

References

External links