The NGO Amnesty International has called on the member states of the United Nations to take measures to end the rights and the humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar.
The following is the open letter from Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, published on October 6th:
I call on you, as a member of the United Nations, to take further urgent and concrete measures to stop the ongoing human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar and to hold those responsible for human rights violations accountable.
I share an appeal signed by over 70,000 people from 161 countries and territories to governments and corporations around the world to join forces to protect the people of Myanmar. You expressly urge governments:
• Increase diplomatic pressure to stop the human rights abuses committed by the Myanmar military and bring perpetrators to justice;
• stop the flow of all arms and other resources to the Myanmar military used to commit violations;
• Call on ASEAN to implement its five-point consensus with a clear timetable, to demand the release of all arbitrarily detained persons and to support UN actions;
In addition, local and foreign companies are encouraged to fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights, including assessing the human rights impact of their activities and partnerships in Myanmar.
In just eight months since the coup, Myanmar security forces have killed over 1,100 people and injured countless demonstrators, bystanders and other civilians. More than 7,000 people continue to be arbitrarily detained under repressive laws, mainly for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, with reports of torture in detention continuing. These rights are further restricted by increasing government surveillance and censorship, including ongoing attacks by security forces on media workers and those who speak out against the coup, blocking websites, banning satellite dishes, and shutting down and slowing down the internet. Escalating armed violence killed or injured
Civilians and have recently evicted over 237,000 people from their homes. The health system has collapsed amid a global pandemic and continues to collapse amid attacks by security forces on health workers. The economy continues to collapse, millions of people are losing their livelihoods, especially women, and millions are going to go hungry or are likely to go hungry in the coming months.
The crimes committed in Myanmar after the coup are « widespread and systematic, » according to the latest analysis by the Myanmar Independent Investigative Mechanism, established by the Human Rights Council in 2018 to uncover evidence of some of the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011 committed and preparing files for future law enforcement. The Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Myanmar has warned that these post-coup violations constitute « crimes against humanity »; and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged influential states to put pressure on the Myanmar military « to stop serious human rights violations and possible crimes against humanity ».
Suspected perpetrators of these crimes under international law include the coup plotters and commander in chief of the military, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and other high-ranking military officials and commanders whose investigations the UN FactFinding mission previously requested and for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes prosecuted. The renewed round of atrocities that are currently devastating communities across the country was made possible by the continued impunity of the military.
After years of diplomatic efforts, the UN Secretary-General’s outgoing special envoy for Myanmar has come to the conclusion that the military does not welcome an inclusive dialogue and that there is clearly no lack of willingness to find a peaceful solution. In the absence of adequate and concrete measures to counter human rights violations, many people in Myanmar are taking matters into their own hands. Myanmar’s self-proclaimed parallel government, the Government of National Unity, declared « a people’s defensive war against the military junta » earlier this month, which could lead to a full-blown war and exacerbate the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis across the country.
I acknowledge and appreciate the statements and actions taken by the United Nations to date, including: the March statement by the President of the UN Security Council on Myanmar condemning violence against peaceful demonstrators and calling on the military to exercise extreme restraint; the resolution overwhelmingly adopted at the UN General Assembly in June calling on all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar; and the resolution adopted by consensus at the 46th session of the Human Rights Council mandating the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to focus on increased monitoring, documentation, analysis and public reporting of the human rights situation and to take action the results and recommendations of the 2019 report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on the economic interests of the military.
However, these worrying statements and actions have yet to bring about a significant improvement in the lives of the 54 million people in Myanmar and the hundreds of thousands who have fled the country for their safety. Further concrete measures, in particular by the Security Council and ASEAN, are urgently required so that the enjoyment of human rights in Myanmar becomes a reality. Words without accompanying concrete action have little, if any, effect on the behavior of the military in Myanmar, especially while governments and corporations continue to operate as usual, allocate resources and enable the military to commit further human rights violations.
“How many bodies does the UN need to take action?” Asked the 23-year-old Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing, the day before he was shot on February 28, while protesting peacefully in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. The death toll at the time was 23. Today his twin brother has gone into hiding, his mother is being taken hostage by the military and over 1,100 people have been killed by the Myanmar security forces.
The international community has a responsibility to act to end the cycle of human rights abuses and impunity in Myanmar. Inaction has already cost Myanmar a heavy price in terms of lost lives and freedoms – and the death toll is only likely to get worse unless urgent intervention is made. Concrete action, as demanded by tens of thousands around the world, is urgently needed, including: the implementation of a comprehensive global arms embargo against Myanmar and targeted financial sanctions against senior officials; Referring the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court; Increasing humanitarian aid; and pressure on the Myanmar military to release all arbitrarily detained. I call on governments and companies to unite to prevent further unlawful killings and repression, protect the people of Myanmar and end decades of impunity.
<! –
var _ase = _ase || [];
/ * Load placement for account: mizzimaburmese, Site: mizzima.com, Zone size: 320×50 * /
_ase.push ([‘1569569006’, ‘1569575925’]);
// ->
Keywords:
