YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Images of Myanmar security forces targeting protesters protesting a coup, shooting a civilian at a distance and brutally beating others have revealed the extent of a brutal crackdown that has seen 38 people shot and killed in one day.
Despite the shocking violence of the previous day, protesters returned to the streets on Thursday to denounce the takeover of the army on February 1, as many hoped that the increased death toll would force the international community to take stronger action than it has done so far. . The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Friday.
UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener described the “bloodiest day” since the takeover on Wednesday, when the army fired the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 50 civilians, mostly peaceful protesters, are confirmed to have been killed by police and soldiers since then, including those 38 he said were killed on Wednesday.
While the details of the deaths were hard to confirm, social media was flooded with images of security forces targeting protesters and other civilians.
“I saw some very disturbing videos today,” Schraner Burgener told UN reporters in New York via a video link in Switzerland. “One of them was the police beating a volunteer medical crew. They were not armed. Another video showed that a protester was taken by the police and shot very close, maybe only a meter away. He did not resist arrest and apparently died on the street. ”
She appeared to be referring to a video broadcast on social networks that begins with a group of security forces following a civilian, whom it seems they have just taken out of a building. A blow sounds and the person falls. After the person raises his head briefly, two of the troops pull him into the street.
In other films, which appear to have been taken from a security camera, about two dozen security forces, some with guns fired, are watching two people wearing construction helmets worn by many protesters on a street. When I catch up with people, I repeatedly beat them with sticks and kick them. One of the officers, who seems to be giving guidance to some of his comrades at one point, is filming the brutality on his mobile phone.
In another video, several police officers repeatedly hit and hit a person with sticks, while the person bends to the ground with his hands over his head. The officers enter and leave the frame, receiving a few blows and then walking away carelessly.
Wednesday’s shocking death toll and high volume of brutal films sparked outrage, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was “dismayed” by images of “horrific violence” and the UN’s independent expert on the issue. Myanmar’s human rights activist Tom Andrews, saying that “the systematic brutality of the military junta is once again horribly displayed.”
“I urge members of the UN Security Council to view photos / videos of the shocking violence against peaceful protesters before meeting in the coming Friday session,” he said on Twitter.
The Security Council has scheduled these consultations on calls to reverse the coup – including from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – and to stop the escalation of military repression.
But any coordinated action at the UN will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would certainly veto. Some countries have imposed or intend to impose their own sanctions.
Even though the Council took action, UN envoy Schraner Burgener warned that there might not be much difference. She said she had warned the Myanmar army that the nations of the world and the Security Council “could take huge and powerful measures”.
“And the answer was, ‘We’re used to sanctions, and we’ve survived those sanctions in the past,'” she said. When he warned the army that Myanmar would become isolated, Schraner Burgener said: “The answer was, ‘We have to learn to go with only a few friends.'”
The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had ruled under strict military control that led to isolation and international sanctions. As the generals weakened their control, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rise to power in the 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and investing in the country.
The highest number of deaths on Wednesday was in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where about 18 people died. Most, if not all, of the deaths took place in the eastern part of North Okkalapa.
The video from the main hospital showed grieving relatives collecting the blood-soaked bodies of family members. Some relatives cried uncontrollably, while others stared in shock at the scene around them.
Efforts were made to hold new protests on Thursday in at least three areas of Yangon: North Okkalapa, Sanchaung and Insein, all scenes of violence in recent days. Police again used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds, while protesters again put up barriers over major roads.
Protests continued in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, where three people were reported killed Wednesday. A line of five fighter jets flew over the city on Thursday morning, which appeared to be a show of strength.
Protesters in the city sent the three-fingered salute as they rode motorcycles to attend a funeral procession for Kyal Sin, also known as Chinese Deng Jia Xi, a college student who was shot while attending a demonstration with the day before. Many thousands of people participated.
During the crackdown, security forces also arrested more than a thousand people, including journalists, according to the Independent Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners. At least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of the Associated Press, were detained on Saturday. He and several other members of the media have been accused of violating a public safety law that could see them imprisoned for up to three years.