United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk highlights the worsening human rights situation in Myanmar.
The United Nations Human Rights Office reported that the human rights situation in human rights situation in Myanmar has plummeted to a new low due to the military's quest for control. Since the 2021 coup, the military has utilized tactics such as airstrikes and arson attacks to battle ethnic armed groups, resulting in the death of an estimated 8,075 civilians. The report highlights systematic violations against the Rohingya minority, particularly in western Rakhine State, where the military and the Arakan Army have committed widespread abuses. Volker Turk urged states, companies, and investors to reconsider their involvement with the country. The report also noted a booming illicit economy, including a 149 percent increase in illegal rare earth mining sites. This mining has caused environmental contamination, affecting maternal and health. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees are protesting over overcrowded and dire conditions in the camps where they have fled to escape the ongoing violence in Myanmar.
Sources
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Myanmar human rights conditions hit new low, UN says
Reuters
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Airstrikes and Illegal Mining Add to Myanmar’s Troubles
The New York Times
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Rohingyas in Myanmar suffering ‘heartbreaking’ misery and cruelty
UN News
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Human rights situation in Myanmar ‘plummets to new low’, UN says
Al Jazeera
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Thousands of Rohingya refugees protest camp conditions and plead to return home
ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation