UN Officials Condemn Myanmar Junta after 100-plus Civilians Killed in One Day

UN officials condemned Myanmar's military junta in the wake of the bloodiest day of protests yet against the military coup that overthrew the country's elected government, as defiant protesters turned out once more Sunday.

At least 114 people were killed Saturday during demonstrations in 44 towns and cities across the country, according to a tally by the independent Myanmar Now news outlet. In a joint statement, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged the Myanmar military to "immediately stop killing the very people it has the duty to serve and protect."

The officials also "strongly condemned the Myanmar military's widespread, lethal, increasingly systematic attacks against peaceful protesters, as well as other serious violations of human rights since it seized power on 1 February 2021."

The UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar said the army was carrying out "mass murder" and called on the world to isolate the junta and halt its access to weapons.

According to the latest tally by the nonprofit Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 423 people have been killed in Myanmar since the military coup on February 1.

At least six children between the ages of 10 and 16 were among those killed on Saturday, Myanmar's Armed Forces Day, according to news reports and witnesses, Reuters reported.

Despite the bloodshed, some protesters returned to the streets Sunday to demonstrate against Myanmar's military in parts of Yangon and other districts across Myanmar.

Live streams Sunday showed people marching to protest the military in Phayar Then Zu along the Thailand-Myanmar border, filling the streets. Some protesters also took to the streets in Magway and Myingyan, according to Myanmar Now.

Residents told local media that military forces had been firing indiscriminately in Yangon since early morning. Images shared on social media purport to show at least one man was shot dead in Hlaing Township on Sunday.

Local media also reported a woman was shot in the head by security forces in Mon Ywa, central Myanmar.







Source: CNN
Image Source: Getty Images