UN report: Myanmar army intensified killings and arrests of civilians

Myanmar's military government has increased the number of killings and arrests in an effort to silence opponents and recruit soldiers in an escalating conflict with tens of thousands detained since the 2021 coup, a United Nations report said.

The military came to power in February 2021 after ousting the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and unleashing street protests across the country that it violently quelled.

The protest movement has since morphed into a growing armed insurgency, with fighting flaring up on multiple fronts, prompting authorities to introduce conscription in February.

The report by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, based in part on remote interviews with hundreds of victims and witnesses since investigators were denied access, said the military had killed 5.350 civilians since the coup.

Of these, 2.414 died in the period covered by the UN report between April 2023 and June 2024, with hundreds killed in air and artillery strikes, a 50 percent increase from the previous reporting period.

The report revealed the extent of detention across the country, with nearly 27.400 people arrested since the coup, including more than 9.000 in the last reporting period. Many are believed to be in military training centers.

Among those seized by authorities were children, the report said, who were taken when their parents could not be located "as a form of punishment for political opposition."

The report details cases of abuse of detainees amounting to torture, such as hanging from the ceiling without food or water, the use of snakes and insects to induce fear, and beatings with bamboo sticks and motorcycle chains.

UN rights office spokeswoman Liz Trosel told a news briefing that at least 1.853 people have died in custody since the coup, including 88 children.

"Many of these individuals are confirmed to be dying after being subjected to violent interrogation, other ill-treatment in detention or being denied access to adequate health care," she said.