UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 (APP): UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet Friday called on the international community to intensify pressure on Myanmar\u2019s military to stop its campaign of violence against citizens, and to insist on the prompt return to civilian rule, almost one year after seizing power in a coup.<\/p>\n
Ms Bachelet reported that this week she spoke in person with \u201cdetermined, courageous\u201d human rights defenders, who were pleading for the international community not to abandon them, but to take robust effective measures to ensure their rights are protected and that the military is held accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI urge governments \u2013 in the region and beyond \u2013 as well as businesses, to listen to this plea. It is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and ensure that perpetrators of systemic human rights violations and abuses are held to account,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The human rights chief said she had heard chilling accounts of violations, such as journalists being tortured; factory workers being intimidated, silenced and exploited; and intensified persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, including Rohingya.<\/p>\n
Other reports mentioned arbitrary arrests, detentions and sham trials of political opponents; so-called \u201cclearance operations\u201d targeting villagers; and indiscriminate attacks including airstrikes and use of heavy weaponry in populated areas.<\/p>\n
Despite this, \u201ccourageous human rights defenders and trade unionists continue to protest, to advocate, documenting and accumulating the mounting evidence of violations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Since the military takeover last February, security forces in Myanmar have moved to crush dissent, resulting in at least 1,500 deaths: a figure that excludes the thousands killed in armed conflict and violence, which have intensified nationwide.<\/p>\n
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has documented gross human rights violations on a practically daily basis, mainly committed by security forces.<\/p>\n
Nearly 12,000 people have been arbitrarily detained for voicing their opposition to the military, either in peaceful protests or online. Some 8,792 remain in custody, and at least 290 have died in detention, many likely due to the use of torture.
\nA detailed report on the human rights situation will be published in March.<\/p>\n
Armed clashes have grown in frequency and intensity, affecting every part of the country, OHCHR said.<\/p>\n
In areas with the highest intensity of military activity \u2013 namely Sagaing region, as well as Chin, Kachin, Kayah and Kayin states \u2013 the army has been punishing local communities for their assumed support of armed elements. The office has documented village burnings, including places of worship and medical clinics, as well as mass arrests, summary executions and the use of torture.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the collapse of the banking, transportation, education and other sectors, have exacerbated the crisis, leaving the economy on the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n
The impacts have been devastating for Myanmar\u2019s people. Projections indicate that nearly half of the population of 54 million could be pushed into poverty this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMembers of Myanmar civil society have told me first-hand what the impact of the last year has been on their lives and those of their families and communities,” Ms. Bachelet said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people have shown extraordinary courage and resilience in standing up for their basic human rights and support each other. Now the international community must show its resolve to support them through concrete actions to end this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the coup, and the ensuing violence, have drawn near universal condemnation, Ms Bachelet said the response had been \u201cineffectual and lacks a sense of urgency commensurate to the magnitude of the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actions on the part of the United Nations Security Council and regional bloc ASEAN, have been insufficient to convince the military to stop the violence and facilitate humanitarian access and aid deliveries.<\/p>\n
Ms Bachelet has welcomed decisions by some private corporations to withdraw from Myanmar based on human rights grounds, describing the move as a \u201cpowerful tool to apply pressure on the financing of the military\u2019s operations against civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stressed that the current human rights crisis is \u201cbuilt upon the impunity with which the military leadership perpetrated the shocking campaign of violence resulting in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya communities of Myanmar four years ago \u2013 and other ethnic minorities over many decades beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rights chief stated that \u201cas long as impunity prevails, stability in Myanmar will be a fiction\u201d, adding \u201caccountability of the military remains crucial to any solution going forward \u2013 the people overwhelmingly demand this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 (APP): UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet Friday called on the international community to intensify pressure on Myanmar\u2019s military to stop its campaign of violence against citizens, and to insist on the prompt return to civilian rule, almost one year after […]<\/p>\n
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