– We are concerned that sensitive personal data, especially those related to human rights activists, will be shared with the junta, ForUM general manager, Kathrine Sund-Henriksen, told NRK.

ForUM is the umbrella organization for about 50 Norwegian peace and development organizations. They referred to possible violations of the Criminal Code Chapter 16 on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Telenor Myanmar was sold to Lebanon’s M1 Group and Myanmar’s Shwe Byain Phyu Group. The latter is accused of having close ties to the country’s military junta, which seized power on February 1, 2021.

No basis

– We ask the police and the Attorney General to investigate whether the actions of Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke and board chairman Gunn Wærsted in Myanmar violated Chapter 16 of the Criminal Code, wrote advisor at ForUM, Diego Alexander Foss, in a press release.

He believes that the 18 million subscribers Telenor has in Myanmar have demonstrated Telenor’s trust and shared sensitive personal information that the military junta can now obtain.

– We have carried out many thorough assessments since the military takeover of Myanmar, and we pay particular attention to sanctions, human rights, privacy and the safety of our employees. Based on this assessment, there is no basis for any review, said communications manager at Telenor Group, Gry Rhode Nordhus.

– Can not be understood

Norwegian Church Aid, which is a member of ForUM, is concerned that if privacy information is not removed prior to the sale, it will have serious consequences for more people in Myanmar.

– Civil society in Myanmar is already in a very vulnerable situation which could be exacerbated by the actions of Norwegian companies. That they then didn’t do the only thing right, which was to delete personal information in a timely manner, is incomprehensible, Lise Sivertsen, head of the communications and policy department at Norwegian Church Aid, told NTB.

He said that some activists and human rights defenders had used Telenor in Myanmar precisely because the company had promised not to contribute to human rights abuses.

– If ethics is important, then it is natural to delete sensitive personal data before it is sold, he stressed.

Must follow Myanmar law

Telenor, for its part, said they had no choice but to change the personal information they hold on to their owners.

– Telenor Myanmar is required by law to retain customer data for several years, and companies must do the same when changing owners. We understand that some people may react to this, but it is something they are required to do by law. Violating or not complying with the laws in force in Myanmar can have completely unacceptable consequences for our employees, which neither Telenor Myanmar nor us as owners can bear, Nordhus replied in an email to NTB.

– We understand the desire of various actors for transparency and debate surrounding this decision. At the same time, we ask for understanding that the situation is far from black and white, and that there is no easy way out of this, Nordhus concludes.