More than 5,000 civilians killed since Myanmar coup: UN

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a report on Tuesday detailing widespread human rights violations in Myanmar since the military took control on 1 February 2021.

According to the report, over 5,350 civilians have been killed, with more than 3.3 million people displaced due to ongoing violence by the armed forces.

The report highlighted that more than half of Myanmar's population is now living below the poverty line, driven largely by the conflict and economic instability.

Additionally, over 27,400 people have been arrested, with numbers increasing since the introduction of mandatory conscription earlier this year.

The violence is having a devastating impact on mental health and economic rights, OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said during a press briefing in Geneva.

She noted that the situation is driving the country into deeper economic decline, with young people fleeing abroad to avoid forced military service, which undermines Myanmar’s future prospects.

The report revealed that at least 1,853 people, including 88 children and 125 women, have died in custody since the coup. Many deaths were attributed to torture, ill-treatment during interrogation, and denial of adequate healthcare.

“Many of these individuals were verified as having died following abusive interrogation, or from lack of medical care while in detention,” Throssell said.

Torture in military detention centers is reportedly widespread. James Rodehaver, head of the UN human rights team in Myanmar, described some of the extreme torture techniques used, including beatings with iron poles, electrocution, asphyxiation, and burning.

In some cases, detainees were terrorized by the introduction of snakes, insects, and other wild animals into their cells.

OHCHR called for those responsible for the human rights abuses to be held accountable, including potential prosecution for war crimes.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on the UN Security Council to refer the Myanmar crisis to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“He [Türk] reiterates his calls for an end to the violence and for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained,” Throssell said.

The report paints a grim picture of the current situation in Myanmar, underscoring the urgent need for international action to address the ongoing crisis.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, James Rodehaver, head of the UN human rights team in Myanmar, said, "The military has orchestrated this crisis by weaponizing the legal system, effectively criminalizing nearly all forms of dissent against its rule."

The UN report disclosed that nearly 27,400 individuals have been arrested since the February 2021 coup, many believed to be held in military training centers.

Among those detained are children, reportedly taken when authorities could not locate their parents, used as a form of punishment for political opposition.

UN rights office spokesperson Liz Throssell reported that at least 1,853 people have died in custody since the coup, including 88 children. "Many of these deaths have been confirmed to result from abusive interrogations, mistreatment in detention, or denial of proper healthcare," Throssell said during a news conference.

Rodehaver also detailed torture methods reported by detainees, such as being suspended from ceilings without food or water, forced to kneel or crawl on sharp objects, and the use of animals like snakes or insects to induce terror.

Additionally, detainees described brutal beatings with iron poles, bamboo sticks, batons, rifle butts, leather strips, electric wires, and motorcycle chains.

The Myanmar military has not yet responded to the UN's findings.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights group monitoring post-coup violence, at least 5,665 civilian deaths have been verified, with another 2,500 still being confirmed.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, reiterated his call for the Myanmar situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Previously, around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in recent months, escaping escalating violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, according to Bangladeshi officials.

The country is already under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice over the military's 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya minority.

A mass exodus of Rohingya people started on Aug. 25, 2017, after Myanmar’s military launched a brutal operation against the Muslim minority in the country’s northern region.