GENEVA (26 February 2021) – UN human rights experts* today called on the Myanmar military to immediately end the violent
crackdown on countrywide peaceful protests against its coup and allow free expression.
“The people of Myanmar have the right to protest peacefully and express their discontent with the military coup,” the
experts said. “We call on the military to refrain from using force against peaceful protests, stop using live bullets
against protesters immediately and respect their right to peaceful protest,” they added.
Myanmar has seen hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators take to the streets to oppose this month’s military
takeover and the removal of the civilian government. At least five protesters have died while many human rights
defenders have been threatened and gone into hiding.
The experts also expressed concern that at least 700 people had been detained since the coup, including high-profile
leaders of the civilian government. Some are being kept under house arrest with no outside contact and in most cases
their whereabouts are unknown. The lack of official charges or acknowledgement of detention is also disturbing, they
said.
“The arbitrary detention and harassment of those voicing their dissent or organising and participating in peaceful
protests must immediately end,” the experts said.
“We are very concerned that journalists covering the protests have been arbitrarily detained and military personnel are
reportedly using slingshots to fire pellets at journalists. Deliberate attacks on journalists and their arbitrary
detention are serious violations of international human rights law and must immediately stop.”
The experts noted that the military junta has unlawfully passed or is planning to pass a worrying series of regulatory
measures that would entrench the control of the regime over the flow of information through the internet and strip
individuals of their human rights.
“These vague and overly broad provisions would give the military unfettered power to censor dissenting voices on social
media, disrupt the internet at will and access user information with no restraint or regard for their right to privacy,”
said the experts.
Endorsing earlier calls from the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the experts urged
the military to restore democratic institutions, and ensure that all those detained for exercising their human rights
are immediately released and not subjected to any harm while in custody.
“The progress of the last decade on democratisation, human rights and the existing dialogue processes initiated with
minorities and indigenous peoples, albeit small, must not be lost,” the experts said.
“We warn the military junta that those who are responsible for repression and killing of peaceful protesters as well as
the detention of government officials and journalists will be held accountable before international jurisdictions”.
The experts called on the international community to continue to push for the respect of the will of the people of
Myanmar and for the peaceful return of the power to the civilian government. They further recall that business
enterprises, including state-owned enterprises, have a responsibility to respect all internationally recognised human
rights wherever they operate.
*The experts: Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association; Mr. Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; Francisco Cali Tzay, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples; Ms. Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression; Mr. Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Ms. Leigh Toomey (Chair-Rapporteur), Ms. Elina Steinerte (Vice-Chair), Ms. Miriam Estrada-Castillo, Mr. Mumba Malila and Mr. Seong-Phil Hong, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Mr. Tae-Ung Baik (Chair), Mr. Henrikas Mickevičius, (Vice Chair), Mr. Luciano Hazan, Mr. Bernard Duhaime, and Ms. Aua Balde, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Mr. Dante Pesce (Chair), Mr. Surya Deva (Vice-Chair), Ms. Elżbieta Karska, Mr. Githu Muigai, Ms. Anita Ramasastry, Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises;