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The United Nations, in a report on the human rights crisis in Myanmar, revealed the devastating consequences of the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, and said that since then, at least 5,350 civilians have lost their lives, over 3.3 million people have been displaced.
Notably, on February 1, 2021, the military junta seized power in a coup ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate. The UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in a report published on Tuesday on the human rights situation in Myanmar, detailed a range of serious violations that continue to underscore the deepening crisis and lack of rule of law throughout the country. Since the coup on 1 February 2021, at least 5,350 civilians have been killed, more than 3.3 million displaced, and over half the population is living below the poverty line, primarily due to military violence, according to the report. The report also documents the vast scope of detentions undertaken by the military. Nearly 27,400 individuals have been arrested since the coup, with arrests on the rise since the military's implementation of mandatory conscription in February 2024. Credible sources verified over 9,000 individuals as having been detained by the military -- a third of the 26,933 persons, including 5,556 women and 547 children, taken into custody since February 2021. Nearly half of arrests during the reporting period occurred in Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing. Arrests have particularly increased since the military announced the implementation of mandatory conscription in February 2024. Citing credible sources, the report also said that at least 1,853 people have died in custody, including 88 children and 125 women. Many of these individuals have been verified as dying after being subjected to abusive interrogation, other ill-treatment in detention, or denial of access to adequate healthcare, the report said. The report looks at the devastating impact of violence, destruction, and deprivation on people's mental health, as well as the regression in economic and social rights, which is precipitating further economic decline. At the same time young people, who provide the key to Myanmar's future, are fleeing abroad to escape being forced to serve in or fight for the military, the report noted. In light of the above findings, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk renewed his recommendation, among others, to the UN Security Council to refer the full scope of the current situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court. He reiterated his calls for an end to the violence and for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained, the report said. In addition, the High Commissioner called on the military to cease immediately all violence and attacks directed against civilians; ensure the full and timely implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the International Court of Justice; respect human rights obligations and comply with international humanitarian law where applicable; release all political prisoners without further delay and discontinue politically motivated prosecutions through the instrumentalisation of the judiciary, the report said. (ANI)
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