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- Protestors in Myanmar are preparing for more demonstrations against the country’s junta rule after at least 18 were killed during a clash with the military on Sunday
- Other reports suggest up to 26 people had been killed, but these claims have not yet been verified
- Police opened fire after stun grenades, tear gas and warning shots failed to break up crowds in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon
- Myanmar has been in a state of crisis since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on February 1
- The U.N.’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has proposed a global arms embargo and more sanctions from more countries on those behind the coup
Protestors in Myanmar are preparing for more demonstrations against the country’s junta rule after at least 18 were killed during a clash with the military on Sunday.
“Throughout the day, in several locations throughout the country, police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force that — according to credible information received by the U.N. Human Rights Office — has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded,” U.N. Human Rights Office said in a statement yesterday.
Other reports suggest up to 26 people had been killed, but these claims have not yet been verified.
Police, with military reinforcements, opened fire after stun grenades, tear gas and warning shots failed to break up crowds in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the “abhorrent violence” by security forces, while Canada’s foreign minister Marc Garneau called the military’s use of lethal force against its own people “appalling.”
Small memorials were held for the victims, with people lighting candles in front of their houses on Sunday.
Myanmar has been in a state of crisis since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on February 1.
The military claims that Suu Kyi’s landslide November election win was fraudulent and has charged her with illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols.
Tom Andrews, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, has proposed a global arms embargo, more sanctions from more countries on those behind the coup, sanctions on the military’s businesses and a U.N. Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court.
“Words of condemnation are welcome but insufficient. We must act,” Andrews said in a statement.
“The nightmare in Myanmar that is unfolding before our eyes will get worse. The world must act.”
