UN chief calls on Myanmar military to ‘stop the repression’, release detainees

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged Myanmar’s military, which seized power three weeks ago, to halt repression and release hundreds detained since the coup.

Guterres, speaking to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said: “We see the undermining of democracy, the use of brutal force, arbitrary arrests, repression in all its manifestations. Restrictions of civic space. Attacks on civil society. Serious violations against minorities with no accountability, including what has rightly been called ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population. The list goes on.”

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“Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately. Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections.”

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