The consequences of penal repression on political hope and action in Myanmar

This article explores the consequences of penal repression for 16 former prisoners in Kachin State, Myanmar, contributing to the literature on imprisonment effects in an under-researched context and drawing attention to the ongoing struggle for rights and recognition. We report on a study exploring whether encounters with a repressive, weaponised criminal justice system against the backdrop of a revolutionary situation extinguish or enable political hope and action. We learn about how everyday politics for ordinary citizens is about organising, participating, and resisting the oppression and changed circumstances elicited by the military coup of 1 February 2021 – often collectively and almost incidentally. We document the obstinacy of political hope and the way in which the debilitating effects of penal repression ultimately fail to extinguish former detainees’ commitment to an alternative future. Learning more about the effects of detention on political consciousness adds important dimensions to understandings of penal repression under highly charged circumstances.