Myanmar's military intensifying killing and torture of civilians: UN
Myanmar’s military regime has stepped up killings and arrests in an apparent bid to silence opponents with tens of thousands of people arrested since the coup more than three years ago, according to a United Nations report.
The military seized power in February 2021, removing the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering nationwide street protests that it violently crushed. leading to a growing armed resistance that continues to this day.
A report from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, revealed that 5,350 civilians have been killed by the military since the coup, with 2,414 of those deaths occurring between April 2023 and June 2024—an alarming 50% increase from the prior period. The report, based on interviews with victims and witnesses, indicated that many of these deaths resulted from airstrikes and artillery assaults.
'Myanmar is descending deeper into a human rights crisis,' said James Rodehaver, who heads the UN’s Myanmar rights team. He criticized the military for manipulating the legal system to suppress dissent and consolidate its control over the country.
The report further disclosed that nearly 27,400 individuals have been detained since the coup, many believed to be held in military training camps. At least 1,853 people have died while in custody, including 88 children, according to UN spokesperson Liz Throssell.
Additionally, Myanmar remains under investigation at the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide against the Rohingya minority following the military’s violent crackdown in 2017.
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