UN Security Council: Historic Censure of Myanmar Junta

• Published date: 23 December 2022
• Publication title: ASEAN Tribune

23 December 2022 (Human Rights Watch) (New York) - The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on December 21, 2022, denouncing the Myanmar military's rights violations since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The landmark resolution, passed with 12 yes votes and 3 abstentions, reflects the Myanmar junta's growing isolation generated by security force abuses amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

It is the first Security Council resolution on Myanmar since the country, formerly known as Burma, acquired independence from Britain in 1948.

'The Security Council resolution is a momentous step on behalf of the people of Myanmar, opening the door toward holding Myanmar's brutal generals to account,' said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. 'The resolution should bring renewed scrutiny to the junta's daily atrocities and recognition of the Myanmar people's brave efforts toward democracy and freedom.'

The resolution, which the United Kingdom drafted under the UN Charter's Chapter VI concerning 'pacific settlement of disputes,' expresses deep concern at the 'ongoing state of emergency imposed by the military in Myanmar on 1 February 2021 and its grave impact on the people of Myanmar.' It condemns the military's execution of pro-democracy activists, urges the military to 'immediately release all arbitrarily detained prisoners,' and demands an 'immediate end to all forms of violence throughout the country.'

The resolution includes numerous references to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which adopted a 'five-point consensus' in April 2021 in response to the Myanmar coup. Junta chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has since defied each point of the consensus while exploiting the international community's deference to the regional bloc, Human Rights Watch said. The secretary-general or his special envoy on Myanmar is tasked with reporting orally by March 15, 2023, to the Security Council on UN support for implementation of the five-point consensus.

All Security Council members voted for the resolution, except for China, India, and Russia, which abstained.

The junta's widespread and systematic abuses since the coup - including extrajudicial killings, torture, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians - amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Security forces have killed over 2,600 people and arbitrarily arrested over 16,000, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

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