On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military seized power in a coup d’etat, imprisoning Aung San Suu Kyi, other civilian government officials, and prominent pro-democracy and human rights advocates. In response to this coup, the people of Myanmar have taken to the streets in a new Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) demanding an end to military rule.
Let us urge all of the countries in the United Nations General Assembly to honor this call by Myanmar’s people. Let us insist that the United Nations move beyond mere statements of concern. Let us demand that the United Nations take all appropriate actions to press the Myanmar military to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been arbitrarily detained;
- Immediately refrain from any use of violence and cease all arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances;
- Respect people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including ensuring that the public and protesters have unfettered Internet access, and lift all restrictions on access to social media platforms, VPN as well as media sites and refrain from imposing further restrictions against use of Internet;
- End all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in ethnic and ceasefire areas, and ensure that all civilians are protected, including by lifting all barriers to humanitarian assistance and ensuring the non-interference of aid to ethnic areas;
- Immediately halt all ongoing military offensives in ethnic areas.
For More Information:
“An Open Letter From Myanmar Civil Society Organizations to the UN Security Council,” 12 February 2021