ANFREL continues its efforts to support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar amid the seizure of power from the civilian government by the military in February 2021.

On 17 May 2021, ANFREL released the final comprehensive report of their international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar General Elections and found that despite the shortcomings in the electoral process, the results reflected the true will of the majority of the voters.

The weekly Myanmar Situation Update and online campaign Project Amplify! continue to provide updates and advocate for more support from the international community.

During the second quarter of the year, ANFREL also released its new book "Media Reporting of Elections in Asia: Issues, Challenges and Lessons" which presented issues and challenges that journalists in Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka face in the course of their reporting of elections in their countries. The book also drew up lessons and best practices from those experiences.

Other advocacy efforts continue with the release of the Monthly Brief on Countries under Restrictive Environment and a series of infographics highlighting the effects of the national security law and the changes in the electoral system in Hong Kong to the rights and freedoms of the Hongkongers.

Other updates include:

• ANFREL participated in the 2021 Gwangju Democracy Forum and hosted a session on democracy under restrictive environment.

• ANFREL highlighted the need for the international community to support the restoration of democracy in Myanmar during OPORA's new online show GNDEM Talk.

To know more about ANFREL news and updates, visit ANFREL Newsletter e-Bulletin (April-June 2021).