Myanmar civil war: after supporting 500 Journalists, RSF continues its work through emergency assistance and radio broadcasting

Since the 1 February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, RSF has supported more than 500 journalists in the country and in exile through a variety of programmes. RSF continues its work, focusing on access to information, particularly through shortwave radio broadcasting.

A holistic approach to keeping information flowing

• Advocacy: RSF has mobilised democracies and international organisations to demand the release of journalists detained by the junta. The organisation has also put pressure on foreign companies operating in support of the regime, and awarded the 2026 RSF Press Freedom Prize (in the Courage category) to Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist with the independent outlet Myanmar Now, who was sentenced in 2023 by the junta to 20 years in prison for documenting human rights violations.
  
• Emergency assistance: Since 2021, RSF's emergency assistance programme has supported more than 130 Myanmar journalists - both inside the country and in exile - providing financial assistance, legal support or relocation assistance, according to their specific needs.
  
• Training: Since October 2024, nearly 274 journalists have taken part in RSF training sessions covering conflict-zone safety, digital security, mental health and Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT).
  
• Equipment distribution: In October 2024, RSF opened a centre in Chiang Mai, in the northwest of neighbouring Thailand, to facilitate the distribution of equipment to Myanmar journalists in exile. Over two years, as part of this project called the "Myanmar Press Freedom Project," RSF has distributed 67 laptops, 50 smartphones, 25 solar batteries, 24 charging stations and 36 VPN subscriptions. With this distribution campaign now complete, the centre will close in November 2026.
  
• Support for local organisations: RSF has provided direct financial support to six local organisations to provide equipment and workspace, support networks of journalists reporting on the conflict, and facilitate access to satellite internet connections.
  
• FM and shortwave radio projects: In 2026, RSF also supported the creation of an FM radio station broadcasting to areas partially occupied by the junta. In partnership with Myanmar media outlet Mizzima and Radio Taiwan International (RTI), RSF launched the shortwave programme "Voice of Independent Myanmar."

Since the 1 February 2021 military coup, Myanmar's military junta has imposed a brutal crackdown on the media. In its report on the weaponisation of national security, published in June 2026, RSF counted at least 40 Myanmar journalists still in detention and at least 220 who had been arrested since the start of the civil war.

Myanmar ranks 166th out of 180 countries and territories in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index. The country is now the world's third-largest prison for journalists, behind Russia and China.