Human rights group calls for UN to impose arms ban on Myanmar junta

(MENAFN) A human rights organization called on the United Nations on Wednesday to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar’s ruling junta, citing the continued persecution of the country’s Muslim population. The Burma Human Rights Network, using Myanmar’s former name, urged the UN Security Council to end its inaction by referring the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court and implementing a binding global arms embargo. The embargo would cover security assistance, the sale and transfer of arms, dual-use technology, and include a suspension of aviation fuel supplies.

The group also called on ASEAN to reject the junta’s upcoming elections, describing them as “sham,” and to take action against Myanmar, including barring the country from all bloc meetings. Although Myanmar is an ASEAN member, it has been excluded from annual meetings since the 2021 coup that brought the military to power. The organization further urged neighboring countries—India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bangladesh—to develop a regional response to the refugee crisis, provide protection, humanitarian and legal aid to refugees, and authorize cross-border assistance for internally displaced persons.

Highlighting ongoing violations, the group said Myanmar’s Muslims continue to face persecution even 77 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Fundamental rights, including safety, dignity, and equal protection under the law, have been systematically violated for decades by the military through persecution, dispossession, and violence carried out with impunity.

Muslims and other minorities, particularly the Rohingya, have endured forced displacement, denial of citizenship, mass killings, and destruction of homes, religious sites, and entire communities. The network reported targeted attacks and collective punishment, including airstrikes on Muslim villages, closure or destruction of mosques, surveillance of religious activities, raids on gatherings, and desecration of cemeteries for military projects.

The organization urged governments worldwide to target the military’s supply chains and financial networks, pursue international legal action against the junta, including joining Gambia’s case at the International Court of Justice, and support investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction. It also called for increased engagement with democratic and resistance stakeholders.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority, continue to face discrimination, statelessness, and abuse, often attempting dangerous sea journeys to escape hardship. Since 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar, with over 1.3 million seeking refuge in Bangladesh, and others reaching Indonesia and Malaysia. Ethnic clashes and the ongoing civil war following the February 2021 military coup have further deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country.

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