The United Nations Human Rights Office has called on the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar’s military leaders ahead of the first anniversary of the coup.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in Geneva today, Friday, that the international condemnations did not lead to the army relieving the intensity of the violence it is practicing against the people or the restoration of civilian rule.
Bachelet praised the companies that withdrew from Myanmar for human rights reasons, noting that similar moves are an effective way to deprive the army of the funding needed for its operations against civilians.
Bachelet said she learned from human rights activists this week that journalists are being tortured in the country, and factory workers face intimidation and exploitation.
She added that minorities such as the Rohingya Muslims are being persecuted and political activists are being brought before moot courts.
The statements of the High Commissioner for Human Rights come a few weeks after the United Nations warned that the people of Myanmar are facing a crisis with political, social, economic and human rights dimensions, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with the needs escalating dramatically since the army seized power, as well as the repercussions of the Covid-pandemic – 19.
For its part, Norway on Friday called on the authorities in Myanmar to immediately stop the violence and release all political detainees.
This came in a statement by the Norwegian Ambassador, Mona Yull, whose country holds the presidency of the Security Council for the current month, after a closed consultation session on the situation in Myanmar, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the coup in it.
It is noteworthy that the Myanmar army seized power at the beginning of last February, and arrested the head of the civilian government and a group of officials, which led to the outbreak of violence in most parts of the country.
