Myanmar is now in the hands of the military, which coup last month caused a major uprising amongst its citizens. Just this weekend, more than 50 civilians died in the hands of the junta, which violent crackdowns have began taking lives earlier this month.
At least 38 people were killed on Sunday alone per the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which records the number of casualties since clashes with security forces in Myanmar began on February 1.
It was on that fateful day, the first of February when Myanmar's commander-in-chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup and captured civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi after her landslide victory alongside the National League for Democracy party in last year's election. This move made him the country's de facto leader.
Since February 1, the citizens have been in clashes with security forces in Myanmar, where the military began to use brute force to control them.
According to The New York Times, up to 51 people were killed by soldiers and police officers just this weekend as people continue to defy Min Aung Hlaing's rule. The report revealed that another wave of deadly clashes with security forces in Myanmar occurred in the Hlaingtharyar district of Yangon, a heavily populated area where factory workers have aggressively fought back against military rule.
Following the clashes with security forces in Myanmar's Hlaingthaya district in Yangon, the military declared martial law in the area for the first time since the coup began. This allowed the military to "assume all authority in the township from the police." A few hours later, the Shwepyitha district in Yangon was also placed under martial law following civilian clashes with security forces in Myanmar.
Reuters reported that more than 180 protesters have now been killed by Myanmar's security forces, which are focusing on quashing dissent in Yangon. However, more protests are occurring across the country, including in Demoso, Pathein, Dawei, the Irrawaddy river delta, Mandalay City, and Monywa. With more than more than 50 civilians dead over the weekend, this marks a troubling era in Myanmar's recent history, worse than last month's kill count of 38.
The United Nations continue to condemn the deadly clashes with security forces in Myanmar, which has claimed the lives of more than 50 civilians just this weekend. According to Voice Of America, there are currently over 2,000 people being arbitrarily detained by Myanmar military.
"At least 37 journalists have been arrested, of whom 19 remain in arbitrary detention. At least five deaths in custody have occurred in recent weeks, and at least two victims' bodies have shown signs of severe physical abuse indicating that they were tortured," U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said of the deadly clashes with security forces in Myanmar.
Shamdasani vowed that the U.N. will take action on the Myanmar military's human rights violations. She said, "Where the state fails to protect the human rights or where the state is carrying out human rights violations against its own people, it is the duty of the international community to do something about it, to take measures to bring the violence to an end, to take measures to ensure accountability."
