We are always living in fear’: inside Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election
Inside Myanmar’s ongoing military-organised election, many citizens — especially in Yangon — live in fear and repression, with free speech and dissent heavily suppressed. The junta presents the vote as a return to democracy, but international observers and residents see it as a sham, held under the shadow of a brutal crackdown, ongoing civil war and exclusion of major opposition figures such as Aung San Suu Kyi and her banned party. Many people are too frightened to speak openly, and daily life is marked by anxiety, economic hardship and pervasive security forces watching ordinary actions.