Norway police investigate Telenor over suspected crimes against humanity in Myanmar

OSLO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Norwegian police said on Tuesday they are investigating Telenor on suspicion that the telecoms operator aided and abetted crimes against humanity in Myanmar following a military coup in 2021.

Investigators raided Telenor's headquarters in Oslo on Tuesday related to the case, which also includes suspected sanctions violations, Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service and the PST security service said in a statement.

"Telenor Myanmar 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," police said.

'WE HAD NO REAL CHOICE'

Telenor, which sold its business in Myanmar following the coup and completed its exit from the country in March 2022, said it was cooperating closely with the investigators and will do everything in its power to assist in clarifying the case.

A spokesperson for the government in Myanmar did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Earlier this year a Swedish non-profit filed a class-action lawsuit alleging Telenor Myanmar shared call logs and location data of suspected political opponents of the junta, leading to the execution of at least one prominent activist.

"The military coup was a tragedy for the people of Myanmar, in which we found ourselves placed in an impossible situation with no good alternatives," Telenor said in a statement to Reuters.

"Employees risked imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if the military authorities' orders were not complied with. We found that we had no real choice, and that we could not put our employees' lives at risk," the company said.

No individuals have been charged or are under investigation, Telenor added.

The Myanmar embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

SANCTIONED SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT

Telenor's sale of the Myanmar business included the transfer of "sanctioned surveillance equipment" and the company is under investigation for not obtaining permission for the transaction from Norway's foreign ministry, police said.

"We welcome the decisions of Norwegian police to finally open investigations into Telenor for their violations of Norwegian and international law in Myanmar," Yadanar Maung, a spokesperson for activist group Justice For Myanmar, told Reuters.

The organisation has worked with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) to present its case to Norwegian investigators.

"Telenor's transfer of spyware to a military-linked company and sharing of sensitive data with the military junta was extensively documented in the submission we made to the police with ICJ Norway. We hope this will finally lead to accountability for the harms Telenor has caused Myanmar people through its conduct and its dangerous divestment."

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Elviira Luoma in Gdansk and Poppy McPherson in Bangkok, Editing by Louise Heavens)