YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Footage of Myanmar security forces chasing protesters protesting against a coup, shooting a civilian at lightning speed and brutally beating others has sparked a scale of brutality repression revealed in which 38 people were shot dead in one day.
Despite the shocking violence the previous day, protesters returned to the streets on Thursday to denounce the army’s takeover on February 1, as many hoped the rising death toll would force the international community to act stronger than hitherto. . The UN Security Council is expected to meet on Friday.
Christine Schraner Burgener, UN special envoy to Myanmar, described Wednesday as “the bloodiest day” since the takeover, when the military ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It is confirmed that more than 50 civilians, mostly peaceful protesters, have since been killed by police and soldiers, including the 38 who were killed Wednesday, she said.
Although details of deaths were difficult to confirm, social media was flooded with images of security forces targeting protesters and other civilians.
“I saw a lot of disturbing videos today,” Schraner Burgener said. ‘One was the police who beat up a volunteer medical crew. They were not armed. Another video clip shows a protester being taken away by police and they shot him from very close range, maybe just one meter. He did not resist his arrest, and appears to have died on the street. ”
She appears to be referring to a video shared on social media, starting with a group of security forces following a citizen, who had apparently just pulled out of a building. A shot rang out, and the person fell. After the person briefly raises their head, two of the troops drag the person to their arms.
In other footage, apparently pulled from a security camera, about two dozen security forces, some with their firearms, chase two people wearing the construction helmets worn by many protesters in a street. When they catch up with the people, they hit them repeatedly with sticks and kick them. One of the officers, who apparently provides direction to some of his comrades at some point, is filming the brutality on his cell phone.
In another video, several police officers repeatedly kick and hit a person with sticks while the person is curved on the ground, hands over their head. Officers move in and out of the frame, get in a few kicks and then walk away comfortably.
Wednesday’s shocking death toll and the large amount of footage of cruelty sparked outrage, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying the US was “appalled” by the images of “horrific violence” and the independent expert of the UN on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, and says that the “systematic brutality of the military junta appears once again on a horrific display.”
“I urge members of the UN Security Council to see the photos / videos of the shocking violence unleashed on peaceful protesters before they meet in Friday’s close session,” he said on Twitter.
The Security Council requested that in addition to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ongoing inspections in Iran, that it monitor Iran’s compliance with “the steps required by the IAEA Board”.
But any form of coordinated action at the UN will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, will almost certainly veto it. Some countries have imposed or are considering their own sanctions.
Although the council did act, UN envoy Schraner Burgener warned that it would not make much of a difference. She said she had warned the Myanmar army that the nations of the world and the Security Council could ‘take big, strong action’.
“And the answer was, ‘We are used to sanctions and we have survived the sanctions in the past,'” she said. When she also warned the military that Myanmar would be isolated, Schraner Burgener said, ‘The answer was,’ We need to learn to walk with only a few friends. ”
The coup turned years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which fell under strict military rule for five decades, leading to international isolation and sanctions. While the generals weakened their grip, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rule in the 2015 election, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and dumping investment in the country.
Wednesday was the highest death toll in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where an estimated 18 people died. Most, if not all, of the deaths occurred in the eastern area of Northern Okkalapa.
The video in the main hospital there shows how family members collected the blood-soaked bodies of family members. Some family members sobbed uncontrollably, while others watched in shock the scene around them.
Attempts were made to hold new protests in at least three areas of Yangon on Thursday: North Oklahapa, Sanchaung and Insein, which have been violent scenes over the past few days. Police again used tear gas to disperse crowds, while protesters again barriers have made on highways.
Demonstrations also continued in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, where three people were killed on Wednesday. A formation of five fighter jets flew over the city on Thursday morning in a show of force.
Protesters in the city flash the three-finger salute as they ride their motorcycles to follow a funeral procession for Kyal Sin, also known by her Chinese name Deng Jia Xi, a university student who was shot dead when she was shot the previous day. demonstration. Thousands of people attended.
According to the Independent Relief Society for Political Prisoners, security forces have also arrested more than a thousand people, including journalists. At least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press, were detained on Saturday. He and several other members of the media are charged with violating a public safety law that could detain them for up to three years.