The UN Refugee Agency has warned that serious human rights violations have occurred in Myanmar after the military junta took over power in February 2021.
Nada-al-Nasif, the UN deputy human rights chief, announced that the UN Special Rapporteur, Tom Andrews, has gathered evidence confirming that the military junta has unleashed bloody repercussions against their political opponents – members of the legally elected government and those who took to the streets to protest against the coup d’etat which took place on 1st February 2021.
🇲🇲 #Myanmar crisis was born of impunity. More violence against Myanmar’s people will only compound the illegitimacy of the coup, and the culpability of its leaders. Learn more 👉 https://t.co/OezLt9Po4S pic.twitter.com/reMtbkPSac
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 12, 2021
Human rights observers have reported that nearly 350 people have been detained by the military including officials, monks, and activists with the charges levied against them as the reason for their detention being questionable. Evidence including camera footage confirmed that the security forces shot at protesters with live ammunition. According to Amnesty International, during protests in the capital city of Naypyitaw one woman was filmed as she was shot and critically injured.
Al-Nasif also revealed that the presence of military forces on the streets in the country has significantly increased. Apart from the use of live ammunition, it has also been revealed that water cannons have been used against peaceful protesters. The media reported that security forces have harassed medical professionals by visiting their homes and attempting to arrest them on charges of involvement in the civil disobedience movement.
Al-Nasif said that the overtaking of power by the military junta is an act of lawlessness that stems from a longstanding lack of civilian control over the military that has given it a disproportionate level of influence on the politics and economy of the country.
The UN Human Rights Council called a special meeting to discuss the crisis in Myanmar when Al-Nasif not only discussed the brutal violation of human rights but also called for targeted sanctions to be imposed against the junta leaders to prevent them from harming vulnerable communities in Myanmar. To impose these sanctions, the UN would need to gain consensus within the Security Council which may present a challenge bearing in mind that China is one of its members and, while the coup d’etat has met with widespread international condemnation, Beijing has refused to criticize those who organized it.
Although imposing sanctions on the military in Myanmar by the UN may be tricky, Joe Biden, the new American president has decided to do so. These sanctions targeted the military leaders, their families, and business interests and as a result, military representatives lost access to about US$1 billion of Burmese funds held in the US. Moreover, the US has frozen the assets which were of benefit to the Myanmar government but it is planning to maintain support for local healthcare and civil society.
Prior to the coup d’etat, Donald Trump’s administration had imposed sanctions on four Burmese officials due to human rights abuse against the Rohingya minority. The UNHCR deputy also expressed her concerns about the situation facing the Rohingya community, a Muslim minority living in Myanmar which has unfortunately been affected many times in the past by violent repressions orchestrated by military authorities that forced many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. In 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingyas were forced to leave Myanmar as a result of violent action undertaken by military forces.
