There may be crimes against humanity

The Myanmar junta's crackdown on peaceful protests has led to likely crimes against humanity, said UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, calling for a united global response.

"The Myanmar junta's brutal response to peaceful protests likely meets the legal threshold for crimes against humanity," Andrews told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.

"The people of Myanmar need not only words of support but supportive action," he said in a statement. "They need the help of the international community, now."

Andrews stressed that reports indicate that the junta's security forces are committing acts of murder, imprisonment, persecution and other crimes as part of a coordinated campaign, directed against a civilian population, in a widespread and systematic manner, with the knowledge of the junta's leadership - thereby likely meeting the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.

Since the military coup on February 1, at least 70 civilians have been killed, and over half of those killed were aged below 25, Andrews said, adding more than 2,000 people have been unlawfully detained and violence is steadily increasing.

With the UN Security Council seemingly unwilling to invoke its authority, Andrews said Member States must rally together to take action.

"Today I am therefore urging that as many Member States as possible commit to taking strong, decisive and coordinated action as a coalition of nations -- an Emergency Coalition for the People of Myanmar."

Andrews outlined five actions that such a coalition could take immediately. They include stopping the flow of funds to the junta, including by imposing targeted sanctions on the junta's business enterprises and on Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, the single largest source of revenue to the State of Myanmar.

He also recommended imposing an international arms embargo, ensuring accountability for the crimes, through national courts using universal jurisdiction if the Security Council is unwilling to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court, and working directly with local civil society and aid organisations to provide humanitarian assistance whenever possible.

Andrews called for denying recognition of the military junta as the legitimate government representing the people of Myanmar.

"I sincerely hope that the international community will rise to the occasion of this moment of history by following the lead and the inspiration of the people of Myanmar by coming to their aid as a coordinated whole, in this their moment of need."

Myanmar is already facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top UN Court at The Hague for its persecutions of the Rohingyas.

Some 750,000 Rohingyas fled military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 2017 and took shelter in Bangladesh, joining the 300,000 others who fled previous waves of violence since the 1980s.

In response to the Gambia's case in November 2019, the ICJ issued orders asking Myanmar to prevent any possible genocidal acts against the Rohingyas and preserve the evidence of human rights violations during the military crackdown.