The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar on Wednesday said that security forces in the country must “stand down before there are more casualties” among protesters, amid reports of use of lethal force against those demonstrating against last week’s military takeover.
There are unconfirmed media reports that at least one individual, a woman, was shot in the head during protests on Tuesday. She is said to be in critical condition at a hospital in Yangon.
Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, an independent human rights expert, warned that all members of the security forces – regardless of rank – had an obligation under international law not to use excessive force, and that they risked being prosecuted if they did so.
“Myanmar military personnel and police need to know that ‘following orders’ is no defense for committing atrocities and any such defense will fail, regardless of their place in the chain of command”, he said, in a news release on Wednesday.
“Officers, regardless of rank, can be held criminally liable for international crimes, including crimes against humanity involving killing, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture”, stressed the rights expert.
Protests in various cities of Myanmar have grown steadily since last Monday’s military takeover and arrest of top political leaders, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, media reports added.
The takeover followed escalating tensions between the military and the government after the November 2020 elections, which were won by Ms. Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD). The polls were only the second democratic elections in Myanmar since the end of nearly five decades of military rule.
