Norway launches probe into Telenor's Myanmar exit
Surveillance control · 17.09.2026

On September 15, 2026, Norwegian authorities announced an investigation into Telenor — the company is suspected of crimes against humanity and sanctions violations in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup. The phrase "crimes against humanity" isn't typically found in a telecom company's quarterly reports.

The story started earlier. Back in August 2021, Access Now, together with 44 organizations, warned Telenor's board of directors: selling the Myanmar subsidiary to the military-linked M1 Group was a bad idea, and due diligence following international standards was needed. Telenor responded on September 3, 2021. And then sold the business anyway.

The problem isn't leaving the market itself, but how the exit was handled. The company left behind users whose data ended up in the hands of a structure tied to the army that staged the coup. It was precisely this hasty and irresponsible exit that Access Now and civil society had been sounding the alarm about for years.

Last year, Justice for Myanmar and ICJ Norway filed a police report. This year, the Swedish Justice and Accountability Initiative, backed by Myanmar and European organizations, filed a class action lawsuit. Now the case has escalated into a full-scale investigation.

The moral is simple and uncomfortable for the entire telecom and tech industry: exiting a market is not an exit button from human rights responsibility. Companies hold enormous volumes of sensitive data about people, and if that data falls into the hands of a repressive regime, the consequences can be irreversible. Due diligence must apply not only when entering a market, but also when leaving it — especially if that market is in a conflict or crisis zone.

Access Now reminds us: businesses are obligated to respect human rights everywhere and always, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The investigation against Telenor is a signal to everyone else that these principles aren't just decorative.

Source: https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/telenor-under-investigation-for-crimes-against-humanity-in-myanmar/