The UN rapporteur called for sanctions and an arms embargo, alleging the use of Russian weapons against the people of Myanmar.
An independent United Nations expert said Russian weapons used in Ukraine are also killing people in Myanmar, and in an effort to put pressure on Myanmar’s military rulers, they said, as they did after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It urged the member states of the United Nations to form a coalition. .
Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said on Wednesday that coalitions should target Myanmar’s military with sanctions and arms embargoes.
“Some of the weapons used to kill people in Ukraine are used to kill people in Myanmar,” Andrews told reporters in New York.
“The international community must coordinate efforts to target them and work together to implement these measures,” Andrews said.
“It’s not done now. Not because we don’t know how. We know how to do it. If you want a playbook, look at Ukraine.”
Russia is Myanmar’s largest supplier of weapons and has been one of the few defenders of the country’s military junta since it launched a coup in 2021.
More than 2,300 people have been killed in Myanmar since the military crackdown on dissidents after the coup, this week after reports of a military air raid on a rally in northern Kachin state killed many civilians on Sunday. An outburst of anger ensued.
“The pattern of the international community’s response to this fear has not changed,” Andrews said of the domestic situation.
“The world is letting the people of Myanmar down. I have no questions,” he said. “There is a leadership vacuum here at the United Nations and the international community.”
After Andrews briefed the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee early on Wednesday, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador to the UN Gennady Kuzmin questioned the reporter’s report, saying it was “often unsupported by facts”. rice field.
“Whose weapons are killing civilians, the elderly, women and children around the world is up to you. You have been appointed Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, so deal with Myanmar, not Ukraine.” Kuzmin told the commission.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, detaining her and other officials and holding them against protests and other types of dissent. started a bloody repression.
The UN Security Council has long been divided on Myanmar, with diplomats saying China and Russia are likely to shield its military leaders from forceful actions such as sanctions.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on a group of Myanmar businessmen and their companies, accusing them of supplying Russian-made weapons to military leaders.
Dynasty International owners Aung Moe Myint and Hlaing Moe Myint and the company’s director Myo Thitsar have been placed on a sanctions blacklist for procuring weapons and aircraft in Belarus for the military regime, according to a statement. the US Treasury Department said.
Britain last month presented a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for an end to all violence in Myanmar, conveyed the threat of sanctions and called on the military to release all political prisoners.
A revised draft was circulated to a 15-member body this week. It was not immediately clear when a vote on the resolution would take place.
Andrews also accused Malaysia of deporting dozens of Myanmar nationals on Wednesday, saying, “In my opinion, they will face torture and possibly be executed.”
Malaysian authorities did not respond to requests for comment on the reported deportations.
“This is outrageous. It is unacceptable and a serious violation of international law,” he said.
