Human rights experts insist that the death toll shows that the international community has been reminded six thousand times so far of the seriousness of the situation in Myanmar.
“It is time for change, starting with bringing this disaster out of the shadows of the international community’s attention.”
In February 2021, Myanmar’s military overthrew the democratically elected government and arrested hundreds of officials and political leaders, including President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Since then the country has been struggling with instability and instability. Armed clashes between the military and separatist and rival groups have increased. There have been large-scale protests in the past and millions of people are suffering humanitarian crises.
A statement by the Group of Special Rapporteurs on Monday said that change is possible through action taken at the international level. In this sequence, he describes how the military leadership has reduced access to weapons used to attack civilians.
Production of weapons, dual-purpose technology and other equipment purchased by the military leadership in Myanmar has fallen by one-third.
Countries’ governments have tightened their control over networks supplying arms to the military and imposed effective restrictions.
Gun ban ‘inadequate’
Independent experts welcomed these measures, but warned that they were grossly inadequate, lacked the necessary coordination and would not garner support from the Myanmar people.
“Thousands of lives have been lost in repeated attacks by the armed forces, often targeting civilian installations and their homes. Incidents of extrajudicial killings by armed forces are common and reflect their brutality and inhumanity.
According to reliable sources, around 2,000 people have lost their lives in military custody. 365 were shot in the head and 215 were burned alive.
Many victims were reportedly forcibly disappeared and then tortured to death. According to experts, beheadings, dismemberment and mutilation of corpses are common.
Election planning, ‘fraud’
More than 21,000 people have been detained since the military coup in February 2021, many of them incommunicado. Even their families and lawyers do not know where they are being held.
Human rights experts have said that in addition to stopping the supply of arms to the military leadership, UN member states must deny its legitimacy. Under this, it is necessary to publicly reject the plan to hold elections next year.
Experts say an unconstitutional coup ousted a democratically elected government, followed by arbitrary detentions, arrests, disappearances and torture of people, and the assassination of opposition leaders.
“And not even when it’s made illegal for journalists to tell the truth. “We urge UN member states to call this practice: a fraud.”
He said that countries and donors should provide assistance to civil society organizations that are collecting information on human rights violations. It is necessary to ensure the safety of the civilian population as well as provide them with life-saving assistance.
Human rights expert
Special Rapporteurs and independent human rights experts are part of the UN Special Human Rights Mechanism.
They are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to investigate a specific human rights issue or situation in a country and submit a report.
These positions are honorary and human rights experts receive no salary from the United Nations for their work. Click here to see the names of human rights experts who have signed this statement.