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8th March 2021 – London/Yangon -- The Burmese military seized power since 1st February 2021 and made a series of arrests. In addition to carrying out violent crackdowns on civilians, the use of military rifles, tear gas, machine guns, and live ammunition have been rampant in various parts of the country. At least 55 people have been killed in protests across the country and several activists and NLD members have been arrested. Among those killed, beaten, or injured have been minors, women, and humanitarian workers. Most notably, Red Cross members were detained and tortured. These events have led to widespread condemnation and increased sanctions on the Burmese generals by many nations around the world, but none have taken actions significant enough to stop or even deter the human rights abuses being committed by the Burmese security forces.
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5th March 2021 – London/Yangon -- BHRN is calling on the international community to respond swiftly to the horrific violence perpetrated by the Burmese security forces against non-violent protesters. On 3rd March alone, BHRN documented nearly 40 people killed during the protests across the country. Many of those killed were shot by snipers directly in the head and died instantly, demonstrating the intent to kill unarmed and peaceful protesters by the army and police. Among the killed were women and teenagers. Burma is in violation of several of its human rights commitments and should absolutely be prosecuted for its crimes.
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London/Yangon – Sunday, February 28th saw the worst violence against protesters at the hands of the illegitimate military that overthrow a democratically elected government since 1st February. Dozens were injured and BHRN has verified 17 deaths of protesters who were shot with live ammunition in different cities around the country. In response, the International Community has issued several statements of concern but offered little in terms of action. While emergency action from the United Nations Security Council could be helpful, it remains unlikely any significant measures will pass due to veto power held by China and Russia. Further, the actions the Security Council could take would seem inadequate compared to the gross human rights violations of the Burmese Military. As the world scrambles to respond to the violence witnessed over the weekend, their first priority should be to support the protest inside of Burma, which is the only vehicle that change will truly come from.
