Myanmar activists to sue Norway’s Telenor for handing data to military

Claimants accidental authorities utilized information to way and people activists successful the aftermath of 2021 coup.

A radical of civilian nine organisations successful Myanmar plans to instrumentality ineligible enactment against Norwegian telecoms steadfast Telenor, accusing it of passing lawsuit information to the country’s subject authorities for usage successful repression.

The activists sent Telenor a announcement of intent to writer connected Monday, according to a connection from the Netherlands-based nonprofit Centre for Research connected Multinational Corporations (SOMO), which is backing the case. The lawsuit states that the information shared by the telecoms elephantine was utilized by the subject pursuing its 2021 coup to hint and people civilians.

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The claimants allege that Telenor, majority-owned by the Norwegian government, disclosed information from millions of customers to the subject authorities, which, aft toppling the country’s elected government, embarked connected a run of unit and repression.

They accidental the accusation helped the subject people anti-coup activists, respective of whom were tortured successful detention and 1 of whom was executed.

Telenor, which has antecedently faced investigations implicit its actions from Norwegian authorities, asserts it was trapped by the concern successful Myanmar with “no bully options”.

One claimant, Thazin Nyunt Aung, said she is “terribly disturbed and shocked” by the information disclosures, which occurred weeks earlier her husband, lawmaker Phoe Zeya Thaw, was arrested and executed.

Ko Ye, different claimant, said she feels “betrayed” by a institution that had a estimation for integrity.

“We were successful danger, successful struggle, successful a precise hard position. But Telenor did not support us. On the contrary. Our information was utilized arsenic a limb against us,” said Ye.

Jan Magne Langseth, a lawyer with Norwegian steadfast Simonsen Vogt Wiig representing the clients, said Telenor “should ne'er person handed implicit this information” and “must beryllium held accountable for its failures”.

‘No bully options’

Facing unit from Myanmar’s authorities to instrumentality surveillance exertion that could person provoked European Union sanctions, Telenor yet sold its concern successful Myanmar successful 2021 to Lebanese concern steadfast M1 Group and majority-owner Shwe Byain Phyu, a section conglomerate whose president has a past of subject ties. The claimants accidental the merchantability gave the subject “unfettered access” to lawsuit data.

Langseth said Telenor “should person deleted each delicate information earlier selling its operations and exiting Myanmar”.

In a connection to the Reuters quality agency, Telenor said it believes the ineligible announcement raises issues that person already been addressed, including successful erstwhile constabulary and tribunal investigations successful Norway.

The institution said it faced a “terrible and tragic situation” successful Myanmar pursuing the coup, with “no bully options”, arsenic disobeying orders from the subject authorities would person “been perceived arsenic coercion and sabotage, and would person enactment employees successful nonstop danger”.

“Like each operators successful immoderate country, Telenor Myanmar was legally required to supply postulation information to the authorities,” the institution said.

Myanmar has been successful situation since the coup and ensuing subject crackdown, which prompted a nationwide equipped rebellion.

The subject authorities has killed astir 7,000 radical and arrested adjacent to 30,000, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a nonprofit monitoring group. The subject denies accusations that it has targeted civilians.