16 April, 2021 – London/Yangon — Burma Human Rights Network strongly condemns the military’s arbitrary arrest, torture, extrajudicial killings of civilians and targeting religious premises and calls for the international community to do an immediate intervention to save the people of Myanmar. As the country marked the Buddhist religious and Burmese national holidays “Thingyan Holidays” and Muslims’ holy month of the Ramadhan, the military forces are still continuing arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings across the country including underaged children and emergency medical-care workers. The military has been brutally killing civilians and the death toll has reached over 700 people which includes over 40 children and more than 3000 people are in detention while hundreds are missing.

About 10 AM on the 15th of April, 2021, the third day of the Thingyan holiday, the security forces shot the people inside the premises of the Sule Mosque, Sinkyan Mosque and North Sinkyan Mosque in Mandalay city. Muslims who were fasting and taking rest in the mosque were shot, as a result, a 28 years old man was dead at the scene and two other people got severely injured while at least five other people got detained including children aged 10, 11 and 16. None of them was linked to the ongoing nationwide anti-coup protest movements nor any other crimes. They were sleeping in the mosque as they had spent their nighttime prayers there as they observed the holy month of Ramadan like many other Muslims around the country and the world.

“The military’s barbaric acts clearly proved that they are violating international crimes and incapable to be abide any law. How can such a terrorist organization who is killing people lawlessly can urge people to follow and respect the law, and govern the country at the same time,” said BHRN’s executive director U Kyaw Win.

“People of Burma are under complete danger by the terrorist regime who is trying to rule the country at their gun point. The world must not wait and watch barbaric and horrific killings continue which are mounted to the crimes against humanity being committed by the fascist military to the innocent civilians of Burma before their eyes,” he continued.

BHRN urges the international community to intervene immediately to stop killing the civilians with impunity in the country and save the people of Burma. People of Burma have shown their bravery of resistance against the fascist regime which is committing crimes against humanity on daily basis, and they deserve a better government that can guarantee genuine democracy and freedom for them. United Nation has the responsibility to protect the people of Burma and must fulfil their calls for democracy and human rights and human dignity for all.

Background on the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)

BHRN is based in London and operates across Burma/Myanmar working for human rights, minority rights and religious freedom in the country. BHRN has played a crucial role in advocating for human rights and religious freedom with politicians and world leaders.

Media Enquiries
Please contact:

Kyaw Win
Executive Director
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
E: [email protected]
T: +44(0) 740 345 2378

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