Norwegian Telecom Giant Linked to Myanmar Crimes Against Humanity

Criminal Charges and Joint Police Raids in Oslo

The joint operation by Kripos and PST targeted Telenor’s corporate offices as investigators pursued separate tracks of accountability, according to reporting from NOS Nieuws. Kripos is investigating the telecom provider for actions taken between the military coup on February 1, 2021, and the eventual sale of Telenor Myanmar Ltd. (TML) on March 25, 2022. During this period, the subsidiary served a customer base exceeding 18 million people.

Concurrently, PST launched an independent charge under Norway’s sanctions legislation, which enforces international measures enacted by entities like the United Nations. Investigators allege that TML distributed prohibited surveillance and interception hardware without the requisite authorization from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overlapping directly with the timeline scrutinized by Kripos.

Sharing Sensitive Customer Data With the Military Regime

The criminal charges formalize longstanding accusations regarding data handovers to Myanmar’s military junta. Earlier, a civil class-action lawsuit filed by the Swedish non-profit organization Justice and Accountability Initiative alleged that Telenor collected and surrendered sensitive customer dossiers to the armed forces, targeting opponents of the regime, as reported by NOS Nieuws.

Court documents and human rights assessments indicate that records for at least 1,253 phone numbers—including names, residential addresses, passport details, social media accounts, financial records, and location histories—were supplied upon military demand. According to Justice and Accountability Initiative statements, the corporate parent in some instances explicitly directed local management to comply with these military demands, a compliance cycle that preceded the arrest and subsequent execution of Phoe Zeya Thaw.

Corporate Defense and the Reality of Coercion

Telenor representatives have defended their actions by describing an untenable operational environment following the military takeover. In statements provided to Reuters, corporate officials asserted that local employees faced immediate threats of imprisonment, torture, or capital punishment if they rejected military directives. Management maintained that the organization had no viable alternative that could protect the lives of its staff.

Despite these pressures, accountability mechanisms have steadily closed in. In December 2025, the Norwegian National Contact Point determined that Telenor failed to execute adequate human rights due diligence while operating in Myanmar. The current criminal proceedings mark a rare instance of a major European telecom operator facing direct penal prosecution for complicity in authoritarian digital surveillance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What specific criminal charges does Telenor face in Norway?

According to Norwegian police, Kripos accuses Telenor of complicity in crimes against humanity, while PST charges the company with violating sanctions legislation through the unauthorized sale of restricted surveillance equipment.

When did Telenor divest from its Myanmar operations?

Telenor finalized the sale of Telenor Myanmar Ltd. to the Lebanon-based M1 Group on March 25, 2022. The subsidiary operates locally under the name ATOM.

How many customer accounts were affected by the data sharing?

According to legal filings by the Justice and Accountability Initiative, the regime accessed data linked to at least 1,253 specific mobile numbers.