ASEAN Urged to Reject Myanmar Junta's Sham Elections

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partner countries are set to attend regional summits in Malaysia, where the Myanmar military junta plans to hold "elections" in December 2025. Human Rights Watch has urged ASEAN governments to reject the junta's plans, citing the military's continued repression of pro-democracy forces, arbitrary arrests, torture, and abusive conscription. The organization stresses that the junta has no intention or capacity to hold free and fair elections, and that the current climate of fear and violence makes any genuine polls impossible.

Key Takeaways:

• ASEAN governments are urged to reject the Myanmar military junta's plans to hold "elections" in December 2025 due to the lack of intention and capacity to organize free and fair polls.
• The junta has continued to repress pro-democracy forces, carrying out arbitrary arrests, torture, and abusive conscription, and has increased military attacks on civilians.
• Since the February 2021 military coup, millions of Myanmar people have been displaced, and the human rights and humanitarian crisis remains unresolved.
• The military's widespread atrocities have included crimes against humanity and war crimes, arbitrary detention of opposition politicians, and the dissolution and criminalization of opposition political parties.
• ASEAN members and partner countries should strengthen efforts to address Myanmar's human rights and humanitarian crisis, rather than supporting the junta's "sham election."
• International organizations, including the UN, have issued warnings about the planned elections, citing concerns about their credibility and potential to exacerbate violence and resistance.

Statistics:

• Millions of Myanmar people have been displaced since the February 2021 military coup (Source: Human Rights Watch).
• The Myanmar military junta has carried out crimes against humanity and war crimes, including arbitrary detention of opposition politicians and the dissolution of opposition political parties (Source: Human Rights Watch).
• The junta has imposed a draconian law that criminalizes criticism of the election, prohibiting speaking, organizing, or protesting that "disrupts" any part of the electoral process (Source: Human Rights Watch).
• The planned elections in December 2025 are set to take place in an environment of fear and violence, making it impossible for genuine polls to occur (Source: John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch).

Sources:

• Human Rights Watch, [url not provided] (news article on Myanmar junta's sham elections)
• "Myanmar: ASEAN Should Reject Sham Election," Human Rights Watch, October 23, 2025.
• Julie Bishop, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar, cited in Human Rights Watch, October 23, 2025.