Human Rights Watch
Maria Laura CanineuBrazil Director, Americas Division
Police use a water cannon on a crowd of protesters in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on Monday, February 8, 2021. ©2021 AP Photo
The death toll keeps rising in Myanmar as security forces open fire on peaceful protesters. Yet the demonstrations across the country continue.
Masses of people in Myanmar have made it clear that they reject the military’s February 1 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government. Despite the increasing violence by the security forces, the people are showing that they will not be intimidated.
The generals seized power after Myanmar’s electoral commission dismissed their allegations of fraud in last November’s election in which Aung San Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy party to win re-election in a landslide, and swept both houses of parliament.
The United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution on February 12, expressing deep concern over the situation in Myanmar, calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all those arbitrarily detained, and for the junta to cooperate with international rights entities.