Two separate criminal investigations have been opened into Telenor, the telecommunications operator in which the Norwegian government holds majority ownership. The probes centre on the company's conduct during its operations in Myanmar under military rule, with authorities examining potential involvement in crimes against humanity and sanctions breaches.
Telenor has drawn sustained criticism for repeatedly transferring customer data to Myanmar's military junta following the regime's seizure of power in February 2021. The coup resulted in the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered years of violent repression, with the armed forces responsible for thousands of arrests and deaths. The company's Oslo headquarters were raided by law enforcement on Tuesday as investigations commenced.
The investigations
Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service is examining complicity in crimes against humanity stemming from Telenor's activities between the February 1, 2021 coup and the March 25, 2022 sale of its Myanmar subsidiary. According to Norwegian officials, "[Telenor] repeatedly handed over historical traffic data about customers to the military regime during this period, at the same time as the regime was responsible for extensive abuses against parts of the civilian population."
A parallel inquiry by the Police Security Service focuses on alleged violations of sanctions law. The investigation concerns Telenor's transfer of surveillance equipment as part of the Myanmar subsidiary sale, which took place without authorization from Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Telenor spokesperson David Fidjeland stated that staff "risked imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if the military authorities' orders were not complied with." He added: "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." The company has indicated it has already provided documentation and materials to authorities.
The sale and its aftermath
In 2022, Telenor divested its Myanmar operations to M1 Group, a Lebanese company. Leaked documents subsequently revealed deep connections between M1 and the military dictatorship. Shortly after the transaction closed, M1 transferred 80 percent of the Myanmar business to Shwe Byain Phyu, an entity controlled by military-aligned figures.
The transaction raised alarm among rights campaigners, who feared that full military control of the network would grant the junta access to historical data on nearly the entire population while enabling installation of advanced surveillance infrastructure to monitor communications and personal information.
Before the divestment, Telenor disclosed that it had initially resisted military pressure to deploy surveillance systems on its infrastructure. However, the company acknowledged complying with at least 200 military requests for customer information during the preceding year, according to Myanmar Now.
Legal challenges and human rights concerns
In 2022, Justice For Myanmar official Yadanar Maung cautioned that Telenor's conduct could constitute complicity in crimes against humanity, warning that the company's systems and data would enable authorities to "track down, arrest, torture and murder civil society activists and journalists."
Multiple legal actions have been filed against Telenor. Several Myanmar civil society organizations initiated lawsuits alleging that the company's data was instrumental in locating, detaining, and torturing individuals, with at least one person executed following arrest based on information derived from Telenor records. In April, a Swedish nonprofit organization filed a class action suit representing 1,200 individuals whose data was allegedly shared with the junta through Telenor.
Telenor has previously justified its actions by citing a conflict between Myanmar's domestic legal requirements and international obligations. The company, which began operations in the country in 2014, argued it was obligated under local law to retain customer data for extended periods and to comply with government directives to safeguard its workforce.
