Sentinel Summary

• Myanmar's military junta completed the second phase of parliamentary elections on January 11, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claiming 88% of seats and winning Aung San Suu Kyi's former constituency in Yangon. The elections, condemned by the UN, Western governments, and human rights organizations as neither free nor fair, occurred amid ongoing civil conflict that has displaced over 3.6 million people. The International Court of Justice commenced genocide hearings against Myanmar on January 12, marking the first full genocide case before the ICJ in over a decade.
• Bangladesh faces escalating political violence ahead of its February 12 parliamentary election, with 102 politically motivated deaths recorded in 2025 compared to 45 in 2023. The interim government launched "Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2" on December 13, resulting in over 15,000 arrests. Tensions with India have intensified following the release of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, prompting Bangladesh to request the ICC relocate T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka.