On February 1, 2021, Myanmar witnessed military seize which led to the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders of the country. Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested in a series of raids and detained.
After the coup, the military has been killing peaceful protestors who have been demanding to restore the civilian rule. According to AAPP, till March 17, 2020, the military has killed 217 people out of which 38 are still unidentified. More than 2,100 — including journalists, protesters, activists, government officials, trade unionists, writers, students, and civilians — have been detained, often in nighttime raids, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Myanmar had a military regime for almost 50 years which ended in 2011 after the establishment of democracy but the scenario changed suddenly on February 1, Monday when the army’s TV station stated that power of the state had been handed over to Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.
The ruling junta drafted a constitution in 2008 that made sure the military would continue to exercise significant political and economic influence, regardless of future administrations.
Under this constitution, the military is allocated a quarter of seats in parliament and it retains control of key ministries like home affairs and defense. The military also has veto power on any attempts to amend the constitution.
The junta has said it is using restraint against what it called “riotous protesters.” In a speech published in state mouthpiece Global New Light of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing said the police force “is controlling the situation by using minimum force and through the least harmful means.”
The military has also sought to repress independent media suspending their licenses and arresting the journalists. The journalists are being detained for doing their jobs.
A human rights defender of Myanmar (name withheld) informed that different kinds of threats are hovering around them. She added, “People are not safe even in their homes. The security forces are shooting people on the street. They are arresting people from their homes and if they can’t find the target, they keep the family members a hostage.” According to her, the locals do not have access to the internet and journalists are under arrest. However, people are going out on the street every day showing their strong will of not going under military rule. People are protesting in different forms, such as protesting during curfew hours and during the night. The public and civil servants are joining Civil Disobedience Movement despite continued pressure to leave the provided housing. The state security forces that are supposed to protect the people are imposing all kinds of mental and physical torture.
Amnesty International said the military is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders. Battle-hardened troops — documented to have committed human rights abuses in conflict areas — have been deployed to the streets, Amnesty said.
The streets of Myanmar is crowded with young protestors who are not ready to give up on their economic and political liberalization which their ancestors never had. As a response to the act of the junta, the professionals of different intellectual and skill-based industries are resigning from their jobs.
According to the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, the military’s “brutal response” to peaceful protests is likely meeting the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
A group of 137 nongovernmental organizations from 31 countries has called on the UN Security Council to urgently impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar.
In Myanmar, the status of peace is deteriorating day by day. The present condition of this country has put on stake the human rights of the civilians struggling to get back to a harmonious democratic country.
Source: Agencies