(MENAFN) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, cautioned on Tuesday that upcoming elections in Myanmar under military rule are likely to escalate violence, particularly as the situation for the Rohingya and other minority groups reaches historic lows, according to reports.

"Today, life in Myanmar, especially in Rakhine State, may be the worst it has ever been for the Rohingya and other minorities, marking another grim chapter in a long history of persecution," Türk said during a high-level conference addressing the plight of Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities.

He emphasized that the conference “must send a clear signal that this injustice is at the top of the global political agenda” and urged it to become “a turning point for the Rohingya, for the international community to take action and devise a lasting solution to their plight.”

Türk described the escalation of violence in Rakhine since November 2023, with the military carrying out “aerial attacks against civilians across Rakhine” and committing “grave violations of human rights and atrocity crimes, including deliberately killing civilians, destroying civilian property, arbitrarily detaining and torturing people, and forcibly conscripting them into its ranks.”

"Some of the images and videos in northern Rakhine from the second half of 2024 are reminiscent of the atrocities of 2017," he added, citing reports of severe movement restrictions, communication blackouts, and mass displacement.

According to Türk, these conditions have displaced more than 3.5 million people within Myanmar and forced an additional 150,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh since January 2024.

He strongly criticized elections organized by the military, warning:
"Elections held under these conditions can be neither free nor fair. For example, Rohingya will not be able to vote because they have been deprived arbitrarily of their citizenship. Ethnic Rakhine parties have been disqualified from running."

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