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Norwegian government brings Myanmar charges against Telenor

Norwegian government brings Myanmar charges against Telenor

The issue of whether and how Norway’s Telenor gave sensitive customer data to the military junta following the 2021 Myanmar coup is back in the headlines. Norwegian authorities have charged the operator with complicity in crimes against humanity and breaching sanctions in Myanmar.

As the UK’s Financial Times newspaper reports, the operator’s headquarters in Oslo were raided by police and security services on Tuesday morning.

Norwegian police statements say that between February 2021 and March 2022 the operator’s Telenor Myanmar unit had “repeatedly handed over historical traffic data about customers to the military regime, at the same time as the regime was responsible for extensive abuses against parts of the civilian population”.

The sanctions breach referred to in the charges apparently relates to the inclusion of sanctions-hit surveillance equipment in the sale of the subsidiary.

Telenor wrote off its entire US$782 million investment in Myanmar after the military coup and sold the business to Lebanese investment company M1 Group the following year, despite warnings from activists in Myanmar that its exit would further endanger parts of the country’s population.

The FT says local human rights groups have alleged that the junta’s troops killed more than 1,500 people and arrested more than 12,000 in the year after they toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Police routinely seized the mobile phones of those detained during street searches and interrogations to access personal information.

Indeed, two such groups announced plans in October 2025 to sue Telenor over sharing customer data with the junta.

In a statement released on Tuesday Telenor acknowledged the investigation and charges and quoted its Media Relations Director, David Fidjeland, who said: "Our employees risked imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if the military authorities' orders were not complied with. This was a very demanding situation in which we found that we had no real choice and that we could not put our employees' lives at risk”. He added: “No individuals have been charged or are under investigation.”

Telenor says it has been in close dialogue with the Norwegian prosecuting authorities for a long time and has handed over extensive documentation and information. Fidjeland added: "We will, of course, co-operate fully with the police and help ensure the case is thoroughly examined."



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