Ironically, after the military regime started to lift autocratic controls, the already persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority suffered further repression in part because "Free speech empowered preachers of anti-Muslim hatred." This atmosphere led to events such as the 2012 Rakhine State riots and 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis. However, many human rights activists and people in Burma believe that this ethnic hatred is a direct result of military rule, as the military promoted an extreme form of Burman nationalism during the years 1962–2011.