Peacock Generation is a satirical poetry and theatre troupe from Myanmar charged with “undermining the military” and “online defamation”. The group’s five members, Kay Khine Tun, Zay Yar Lwin, Paing Pyo Min, Paing Ye Thu, and Zaw Lin Htut, were arrested in April 2019 and sentenced in October 2019 to one year in prison.

The poets of Peacock Generation were arrested following a performance of Thangyat, a traditional art form similar to slam poetry, in Yangon in April 2019. The offending performance included criticism of the military, which holds a large amount of influence in Myanmar’s government, and featured the performers dressed as soldiers. 

Thangyat is a century-old art that combines poetry, comedy, and dance and is typically performed during Myanmar’s annual New Year water festival in April. Performances frequently parody the military, but authorities determined that Peacock Generation crossed a line by livestreaming the event to Facebook.

After their arrest, seven arrested members of the group were charged with “undermining the military” under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, which prohibits members of the public from inciting officers or soldiers to mutiny or otherwise fail in their duties. Four of the seven were also charged for “online defamation” under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Act.

During a trial on October 30, 2019 at Mayangon Township Court in Yangon, five of the seven troupe members were convicted under Section 505(a) and sentenced to one year in prison. A verdict has yet to be reached regarding the “online defamation” charges. The same members of Peacock Generation face similar charges in several other cities across the country where they performed the Thangyat, and these cases have yet to be tried. Peacock Generation’s members and their supporters categorically deny any wrongdoing. 

Though Myanmar today considers itself to be a constitutional republic, it suffered under military dictatorship for five decades. The period of military rule ended in 2011, but the democratic government that replaced it has hardly relaxed stringent controls on free speech and expression and the military retains strong political influence. The young artists of Peacock Generation have incited no violence by criticising the military through their performances, and thus must be considered prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately.