In the six months following the February 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military junta has committed various atrocities against the civilians that amount to crimes against humanity, according to Human Rights Watch.
Millions of people have come to the streets all around the country to peacefully protest the military coup, calling for a restoration to a democratically elected civilian government. Security personnel have gunned down civilians and used excessive force to separate and hurt protestors as part of a broad and systematic crackdown on the protestors.
Over 900 protestors and passers-by, including roughly 75 children, have been murdered by police and soldiers, who have also forcefully abducted over 100 people and tortured and raped an unknown number of people in detention. Thousands of people have been imprisoned and arrested without justification.
“Myanmar’s junta has responded to massive popular opposition to the coup with killings, torture, and arbitrary detention of people who merely want last year’s election results to be respected and a government that reflects the popular will. These attacks on the population amount to crimes against humanity for which those responsible should be brought to account.”
“The offenses of Myanmar’s junta against those opposed to the military coup have been both a widespread and systematic attack against the population. The nature of the response, broad-based and frequently consistent, reflects government policy rather than the actions of individual security personnel.”
Since the coup, the Myanmar military has killed countless demonstrators, enforced disappearance of opposition members, tortured and raped many of those arrested, and held mass political detentions around the country.
We call on the United Nations, international organizations, governments, the European Union, the United States, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to supplement, strengthen, and coordinate international sanctions against Myanmar’s military to respond to the country’s ongoing crimes against humanity.
Governments should take steps to limit the junta’s reliance on gas earnings, which are its main source of income. This step could restrict the junta’s access to overseas accounts while enabling the country’s gas and power production to continue.