GENEVA

Violence, repression and intimidation are intensifying in Myanmar ahead of military-controlled elections scheduled for Dec. 28, with civilians being threatened by both the authorities and armed groups opposing the military, the UN Human Rights Office said on Tuesday.

UN rights chief Volker Turk, in a statement, urged an immediate halt to coercive practices linked to the vote. "The military authorities in Myanmar must stop using brutal violence to compel people to vote, and stop arresting people for expressing any dissenting views," he said.

According to the office, dozens of people have been detained under an "election protection law" for exercising freedom of expression. Some have received severe sentences, including three youths in Hlaingthaya Township in Yangon Region who were jailed for between 42 and 49 years for hanging anti-election posters.

Prominent figures have also been arrested, the office said, including film director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing, who were each sentenced to seven years in prison for undermining public trust after criticizing a pro-election propaganda film.

The office said it had received reports from internally displaced people in several parts of the country, including Mandalay region, who were warned they would be attacked or have their homes seized if they did not return to vote.

One source told the rights office: "They are saying to the internally displaced: 'You guys come back to the town (to vote). If you do not come back, we will continue to bomb you.'"

"Forcing displaced people to undertake unsafe and involuntary returns is a human rights violation," Turk said.

Armed groups opposing the military have also issued threats. In November, teachers were abducted and election offices in Yangon were bombed, injuring several election staff, it noted.

"These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression," Turk said. "There are no conditions for the exercise of the rights of freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly that allow for the free and meaningful participation of the people."

The elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was toppled in February 2021.