UN General Assembly adopts resolution condemning violence

On 18 June the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the use of lethal force and violence by the Myanmar/Burma army, known as the Tatmadaw, in the aftermath of the coup, which took place in the country on 1 February.

The resolution, adopted by a vote of 119 to one with 36 abstentions, calls on the Tatmadaw to “end the state of emergency, to respect all human rights of the people of Myanmar and to allow the sustained democratic transition of Myanmar.” It also notably urges UN Member States to ensure that they are not responsible for the flow of arms into Myanmar.

On 1 February, the Myanmar army, known as the Tatmadaw, seized power in a coup. This sparked widespread national protests, marches and walk-outs which have been met with a heavy-handed and violent response from the army and police, involving water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

In May 2021, CSW joined over 200 international and Myanmar-based human rights organisations in calling for a global arms embargo on the country. While UN General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, this latest development nonetheless adds significant weight to such calls, and sends a powerful signal to the Security Council, which has yet to take decisive action on the coup, that a majority of UN member states support robust measures against the Tatmadaw.

Benedict Rogers, CSW’s Senior Analyst on East Asia and author of three books on Myanmar, said: “The people of Myanmar have been subjected to intense violence at the hands of the Tatmadaw for nearly five months now. We welcome this resolution at the UN General Assembly, and now encourage the international community and specifically the UN Security Council to act on its calls and impose a global arms embargo on the country as a means of pressuring the military regime to end its reign of terror. We also continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in the country, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and for the full restoration of democracy in Myanmar.”