Myanmar Approves Death Penalty For Cyberscam Crimes

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Yangon: Myanmar's military-backed parliament has approved a new anti-online scam law that allows the death penalty for offenders whose violence or coercion of victims forced into online scam operations results in death.

The legislation also provides life imprisonment for those running online scam centres and organising cryptocurrency scams, making it one of the country's toughest measures against cybercrime.

The law targets individuals involved in torture, unlawful detention and other abusive practices used to force victims into fraudulent online operations. It comes as internet scam compounds have expanded across conflict-hit Myanmar, where trafficked foreign nationals have reported being held against their will and abused.

The legislation is the first passed under Myanmar's new military-backed government, which says it aims to curb organised cybercrime. Critics, however, continue to question the legitimacy of the country's political system following the 2021 military coup and ongoing civil conflict.