Since the Myanmar coup, 75 children have been killed and 1,000 detained: UN experts | Coronavirus pandemic news

Since the Myanmar coup, 75 children have been killed and 1,000 detained: UN experts | Coronavirus pandemic news

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Dozens of children were killed in Myanmar and hundreds of children were arbitrarily detained Since the coup more than five months ago, UN human rights experts said that due to the health emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, political turmoil in the country continues.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child reported on Friday that it had received “reliable information” stating that 75 children have been killed and about 1,000 arrested in Myanmar since February 1.

Committee Chairman Mikiko Otani said in a statement: “Due to the military coup, Myanmar’s children were besieged and faced catastrophic loss of life.”

Burmese residents participated in large-scale protests, but were met with a brutal military response after the coup d’etat to overthrow civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Children face indiscriminate violence, random shootings and arbitrary arrests every day,” Otani said.

“They pointed their guns at them and saw the same thing happened to their parents and siblings.”

The committee is composed of 18 independent experts and is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child signed by Myanmar in 1991.

Experts said they “strongly condemned Killing children The military government and the police” and pointed out that “some victims were killed in their own homes.”

The statement said it included a 6-year-old girl from Mandalay who was shot in the abdomen by police.

Children become “hostages”

Experts also lashed out at the arbitrary detention of children that is widespread in police stations, prisons and military detention centers.

They pointed out that military authorities reported that when children were unable to arrest their parents, they held children hostage, including a 5-year-old girl in the Mandalay area whose father helped organize anti-military protests.

On Friday, the Myanmar News website also reported that among the seven villagers in Sintgaing Township, Mandalay, two minors, aged 12 and 15, were detained and charged with possession of explosives.

Experts also expressed their deep concern about the severe interruption of basic medical care and school education across the country.

They said children’s access to safe drinking water and food in rural areas has also been disrupted.

They pointed out that the United Nations Human Rights Office has received reliable reports that the security forces are occupying hospitals, schools and religious institutions in the country, which were subsequently destroyed during military operations.

They highlighted UNICEF UNICEF data showing that 1 million children in Myanmar missed the critical vaccine, and more than 40,000 children no longer receive the treatment needed for severe acute malnutrition.

Otani warned: “If this crisis continues, an entire generation of children may suffer profound physical, psychological, emotional, educational, and economic consequences, depriving them of a healthy and productive future.”

As of Friday, the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Aid Association for Political Prisoners of Myanmar (AAPP) reported that since the February coup, at least 912 people have been killed, 6,770 arrested, 5,277 are currently detained or sentenced, and 1,963 are wanted by security forces.

COVID-19 surge

At the same time, Myanmar media reported that Aung San Suu Kyi’s respected senior leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Wein Taiin, was accused by the military government of inciting rebellion and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

The Myanmar News website quoted his lawyer as saying that the 79-year-old leader has been detained in the capital Naypyidaw since February and he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The crackdown took place Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic This has destroyed the country’s healthcare system.

According to reports, in Yangon, the country’s largest city, the hospital’s oxygen supply has run out, and people have been single-handedly trying to save their families from dying from the disease. There are also reports that the coffins have been sold out due to the surge in the death toll from COVID-19.

According to reports, more than 200,000 people in the country have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 4,300 have died, but medical experts say the actual number may be much higher.





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