The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday of intensifying violence in&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;and condemned the army's "outrageous" use of heavy weapons while urging a wider diplomatic effort to pressure the ruling generals.

Michelle Bachelet said the junta had shown no willingness to implement a five-point consensus it agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to halt violence and start a dialogue with its opponents.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-rapporteur-warns-of-mass-deaths-from-starvation-in-myanmar-390360">UN rapporteur warns of 'mass deaths' from starvation in Myanmar</a>

Bachelet, whose requests to visit&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;in April were denied, said there were credible reports that in Kayah State, civilians were being used as human shields and the army was shelling homes and churches, which had forced more than 108,000 people to flee, with little food, water or sanitation, and humanitarian access was blocked.

"There appear to be no efforts towards de-escalation but rather a build-up of troops in key areas, contrary to the commitments the military made to ASEAN to cease the violence," Bachelet said in a statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmars-aung-san-suu-kyi-hit-with-fresh-corruption-charges-390507">Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi hit with fresh corruption charges</a>

Myanmar&nbsp;has been in turmoil since a February&nbsp;1 coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, unleashing daily protests and strikes that have paralysed the economy, and fighting in borderlands between the armed forces and ethnic minority guerrilla forces and militias.

A junta spokesman did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

The Southeast Asian mediation effort has made little progress, with ASEAN's foreign ministers, China and Japan among several countries this week stressing the importance of the peace plan being implemented.

The United Nations, Western countries and China all back the ASEAN effort, but the&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;military, known as the Tatmadaw, has paid little heed to that and instead touted the progress of its own five-step plan towards a new election.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/asean-envoys-meet-myanmar-junta-leader-to-press-for-dialogue-389555">ASEAN envoys meet Myanmar junta leader to press for dialogue</a>

Bachelet encouraged the intensification of diplomacy, including from influential states, and said dialogue was urgently needed with all political stakeholders, including a shadow government made up of opponents of military rule.

Two ASEAN envoys visited&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;last week and met top junta officials, including military chief Min Aung Hlaing, a trip that was criticised by pro-democracy groups, who say they are being shut out.

"The international community needs to unify in its demand that the Tatmadaw cease the outrageous use of heavy artillery against civilians and civilian objects," Bachelet said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-junta-defends-response-to-crisis-amid-southeast-asian-criticism-390094">Myanmar junta defends response to crisis amid Southeast Asian criticism</a>

"The military leadership is singularly responsible for this crisis, and must be held to account."

She also said newly formed civilian forces, known as People's Defence Forces, and other armed groups, must take all measures to keep civilians away from harm.

Bachelet also said she was deeply troubled by detentions and reports or torture.

According to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group, 5,965 people been arrested since the coup. Of those, 4,804 remain in prison, interrogation centres, and under house arrest.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/regional-envoys-urged-myanmar-junta-to-free-prisoners-follow-agreement-389887">Regional envoys urged Myanmar junta to free prisoners, follow agreement</a>

At least 860 people have been killed, 22 of those from torture during detention, the AAPP.

The junta has branded its opponents' terrorists and outlawed many organisations, including the AAPP.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday of intensifying violence in Myanmar and condemned the army's "outrageous" use of heavy weapons while urging a wider diplomatic effort to pressure the ruling generals.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday of intensifying violence in Myanmar and condemned the army's "outrageous" use of heavy weapons while urging a wider diplomatic effort to pressure the ruling generals. Michelle Bachelet said the junta had shown no willingness to implement a five-point consensus it agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to halt violence and start a dialogue with its opponents. Also read | UN rapporteur warns of 'mass deaths' from starvation in Myanmar Bachelet, whose requests to visit Myanmar in April were denied, said there were credible reports that in Kayah State, civilians were being used as human shields and the army was shelling homes and churches, which had forced more than 108,000 people to flee, with little food, water or sanitation, and humanitarian access was blocked. "There appear to be no efforts towards de-escalation but rather a build-up of troops in key areas, contrary to the commitments the military made to ASEAN to cease the violence," Bachelet said in a statement. Also read | Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi hit with fresh corruption charges Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February 1 coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, unleashing daily protests and strikes that have paralysed the economy, and fighting in borderlands between the armed forces and ethnic minority guerrilla forces and militias. A junta spokesman did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment. The Southeast Asian mediation effort has made little progress, with ASEAN's foreign ministers, China and Japan among several countries this week stressing the importance of the peace plan being implemented. The United Nations, Western countries and China all back the ASEAN effort, but the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has paid little heed to that and instead touted the progress of its own five-step plan towards a new election. Also read | ASEAN envoys meet Myanmar junta leader to press for dialogue Bachelet encouraged the intensification of diplomacy, including from influential states, and said dialogue was urgently needed with all political stakeholders, including a shadow government made up of opponents of military rule. Two ASEAN envoys visited Myanmar last week and met top junta officials, including military chief Min Aung Hlaing, a trip that was criticised by pro-democracy groups, who say they are being shut out. "The international community needs to unify in its demand that the Tatmadaw cease the outrageous use of heavy artillery against civilians and civilian objects," Bachelet said. Also read | Myanmar junta defends response to crisis amid Southeast Asian criticism "The military leadership is singularly responsible for this crisis, and must be held to account." She also said newly formed civilian forces, known as People's Defence Forces, and other armed groups, must take all measures to keep civilians away from harm. Bachelet also said she was deeply troubled by detentions and reports or torture. According to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group, 5,965 people been arrested since the coup. Of those, 4,804 remain in prison, interrogation centres, and under house arrest. Also read | Regional envoys urged Myanmar junta to free prisoners, follow agreement At least 860 people have been killed, 22 of those from torture during detention, the AAPP. The junta has branded its opponents' terrorists and outlawed many organisations, including the AAPP.

UN rights commissioner warns of escalating Myanmar violence

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.

The proposal before the United Nations' top rights body calls for an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their "root causes" in the decades-long Middle East conflict.

The draft resolution presented by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be debated during a special one-day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month.

The session of the 47-member council, called for by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC and the Palestinian Authority, will kick off at 0800 GMT with a statement by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki was among those expected to address the session, as was Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva. On Wednesday, she attacked both the session and the draft resolution.

Their "sole purpose", she said, was "to blame Israel, whitewash the crimes committed by Hamas, and for the Palestinian Authority to avoid assuming its responsibilities towards its population".

Root causes

The text, expected to be voted on Thursday afternoon, calls for the council to "urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry... in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel".

The investigators, the text said, should probe "all alleged violations and abuses" of international law linked to the tensions that sparked the latest violence.

Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says.

Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian national and two Thai workers, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.

But the draft text goes far beyond the most recent conflict, also calling for investigators to probe "underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity".

The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence and other material that could be used in legal proceedings, and as far as possible should identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said.

'Systemic impunity'

"Long-standing and systemic impunity for international law violations has thwarted justice, created a protection crisis and undermined all efforts to achieve a just and peaceful solution," the draft text said.

If the resolution passes, it would create the council's first-ever open-ended commission of inquiry (COI) -- the highest-level investigation that can be ordered by the council.

Other COIs, like the one in Syria, need their mandates renewed every year.

And while the council has previously ordered eight investigations into rights violations committed in the Palestinian territories, this would be the first one with a mandate to examine "root causes" in the drawn-out conflict, and also to probe systematic abuses committed within Israel.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told reporters Wednesday that the recent violence was only the latest in a long cycle, and stressed the need for the investigation to have "standing status".

Twenty of the council's 47 members were among the 66 countries that backed holding the special session.

The rights council holds three regular sessions each year but can hold special sessions with the backing of at least a third of members.

Thursday will mark the 30th extraordinary meeting since the council's creation 15 years ago.

It will be the ninth focused on Israel, which has long complained it faces bias in the council. Ambassador Eilon Shahar said this latest special session marked a "further tarnishing (of) the moral values it is supposed to uphold."

She called on all member states "to assume their moral responsibility and oppose the resolution".

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel. The proposal before the United Nations' top rights body calls for an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their "root causes" in the decades-long Middle East conflict. The draft resolution presented by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be debated during a special one-day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month. The session of the 47-member council, called for by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC and the Palestinian Authority, will kick off at 0800 GMT with a statement by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet. Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki was among those expected to address the session, as was Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva. On Wednesday, she attacked both the session and the draft resolution. Their "sole purpose", she said, was "to blame Israel, whitewash the crimes committed by Hamas, and for the Palestinian Authority to avoid assuming its responsibilities towards its population". Root causes The text, expected to be voted on Thursday afternoon, calls for the council to "urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry... in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel". The investigators, the text said, should probe "all alleged violations and abuses" of international law linked to the tensions that sparked the latest violence. Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says. Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian national and two Thai workers, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded. But the draft text goes far beyond the most recent conflict, also calling for investigators to probe "underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity". The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence and other material that could be used in legal proceedings, and as far as possible should identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said. 'Systemic impunity' "Long-standing and systemic impunity for international law violations has thwarted justice, created a protection crisis and undermined all efforts to achieve a just and peaceful solution," the draft text said. If the resolution passes, it would create the council's first-ever open-ended commission of inquiry (COI) -- the highest-level investigation that can be ordered by the council. Other COIs, like the one in Syria, need their mandates renewed every year. And while the council has previously ordered eight investigations into rights violations committed in the Palestinian territories, this would be the first one with a mandate to examine "root causes" in the drawn-out conflict, and also to probe systematic abuses committed within Israel. Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told reporters Wednesday that the recent violence was only the latest in a long cycle, and stressed the need for the investigation to have "standing status". Twenty of the council's 47 members were among the 66 countries that backed holding the special session. The rights council holds three regular sessions each year but can hold special sessions with the backing of at least a third of members. Thursday will mark the 30th extraordinary meeting since the council's creation 15 years ago. It will be the ninth focused on Israel, which has long complained it faces bias in the council. Ambassador Eilon Shahar said this latest special session marked a "further tarnishing (of) the moral values it is supposed to uphold." She called on all member states "to assume their moral responsibility and oppose the resolution".

UN rights council to discuss probing 'systematic' abuses in Palestinian territories, Israel

European countries presented a text Thursday to the UN's top rights body harshly condemning the coup in Myanmar and demanding the military release Aung San Suu Kyi and restore civilian rule.

The draft resolution, to be debated during a special session of the Human Rights Council on Friday, also called for the release of all others who have been "arbitrarily detained", and called on the military to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters.

The text was trailed after a sixth consecutive day of anti-coup rallies in Myanmar condemning the ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who until the coup on February 1 was the country's de facto civilian leader.&nbsp;

She was detained with dozens of other members of her National League for Democracy party, including President Win Myint, ending a decade of civilian rule and triggering international condemnation.

Britain and the European Union on Monday issued an official request for a special council session about the Myanmar situation.

The request has received support from more than 20 of the council's 47 members, easily passing the required one-third threshold to push the session through.

In addition, it was backed by some 30 other countries, including the United States, which announced Monday it would "re-engage" with the council nearly three years after the administration of former president Donald Trump decided to withdraw.

- 'Sufficiently strong'? -

The draft resolution presented Thursday had slightly stronger wording than an initial text circulated to diplomats on Tuesday.

It called for "the restoration of the democratically-elected government," and demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all persons arbitrarily detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint."

The text also called for the "immediate and permanent lifting of restrictions on the internet, telecommunication and social media", as well as "full and unrestricted access" to the country by UN rights observers.

The draft meanwhile stopped short of calling for sanctions against the generals behind the coup -- something Washington has said it will do, and Britain said it was considering.

Observers suggested stronger positions may have been avoided in the text to ensure more support in the council, where consensus backing is preferred.

"We do think there is real value if we can get a broad and ideally unanimous voice out of the council sending a strong message, and there are some very strong messages in that resolution," a Western diplomat said, requesting anonymity.&nbsp;

But, the diplomat added, there were limits to how far backers of the text were prepared to go to secure support.

"The text has to be credible. It has to be sufficiently strong, and we are not going to go for consensus at all costs."

The one-day special session, which will be largely held virtually due to pandemic restrictions, is due to kick off at 10:00am (0900 GMT) Friday.

European countries presented a text Thursday to the UN's top rights body harshly condemning the coup in Myanmar and demanding the military release Aung San Suu Kyi and restore civilian rule.

European countries presented a text Thursday to the UN's top rights body harshly condemning the coup in Myanmar and demanding the military release Aung San Suu Kyi and restore civilian rule. The draft resolution, to be debated during a special session of the Human Rights Council on Friday, also called for the release of all others who have been "arbitrarily detained", and called on the military to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters. The text was trailed after a sixth consecutive day of anti-coup rallies in Myanmar condemning the ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who until the coup on February 1 was the country's de facto civilian leader. She was detained with dozens of other members of her National League for Democracy party, including President Win Myint, ending a decade of civilian rule and triggering international condemnation. Britain and the European Union on Monday issued an official request for a special council session about the Myanmar situation. The request has received support from more than 20 of the council's 47 members, easily passing the required one-third threshold to push the session through. In addition, it was backed by some 30 other countries, including the United States, which announced Monday it would "re-engage" with the council nearly three years after the administration of former president Donald Trump decided to withdraw. - 'Sufficiently strong'? - The draft resolution presented Thursday had slightly stronger wording than an initial text circulated to diplomats on Tuesday. It called for "the restoration of the democratically-elected government," and demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all persons arbitrarily detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint." The text also called for the "immediate and permanent lifting of restrictions on the internet, telecommunication and social media", as well as "full and unrestricted access" to the country by UN rights observers. The draft meanwhile stopped short of calling for sanctions against the generals behind the coup -- something Washington has said it will do, and Britain said it was considering. Observers suggested stronger positions may have been avoided in the text to ensure more support in the council, where consensus backing is preferred. "We do think there is real value if we can get a broad and ideally unanimous voice out of the council sending a strong message, and there are some very strong messages in that resolution," a Western diplomat said, requesting anonymity. But, the diplomat added, there were limits to how far backers of the text were prepared to go to secure support. "The text has to be credible. It has to be sufficiently strong, and we are not going to go for consensus at all costs." The one-day special session, which will be largely held virtually due to pandemic restrictions, is due to kick off at 10:00am (0900 GMT) Friday.

UN Rights Council weighs approach to Myanmar coup

Diplomats and activists on Monday denounced intense Chinese lobbying, pressure and even threats to rein in criticism of Beijing during last month's session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged that the Chinese mission in Geneva had sent a letter to a number of missions urging them to stay away from a US-organised event on March 13 about China's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province.

The letter, signed by Ambassador Yu Jianhua and seen by AFP, tells countries "not to co-sponsor, participate in or be present at this side event... in the interest of our bilateral relations and continued multilateral cooperation."

HRW slammed these "threats", with the organisation's Geneva director John Fisher warning that the public outcry over the treatment of Muslim minorities had "sent China into panic mode."

Chinese officials, he said in a statement, are now "using public as well as private pressure to block concerted international action."

The Chinese mission did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation and comment.

But several diplomats confirmed to AFP that their missions had received the letter ahead of the event.

It took place on the sidelines of the rights council's three-week session and focused on allegations that upwards of one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic minorities are being held in detention centres in Xinjiang.

China maintains instead that the Uighurs and others are at "campuses" for vocational training set up to counter radicalisation.

Xinjiang, which shares a border with several countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen violent unrest, which China claims is orchestrated by an organised "terrorist" movement seeking the region's independence.

But many Uighurs and Xinjiang experts say the violence stems largely from spontaneous outbursts of anger at Chinese cultural and religious repression, and that Beijing plays up terrorism to justify tight control of the resource-rich region.

'Stage-manage everything'

On Monday, several diplomats backed HRW's claim that China had exerted significant pressure on countries to speak on its behalf during the conclusion of a review of its rights record before the council on March 15.

"They were doing their best to stage-manage everything," a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

"When you see how few countries spoke up about Xinjiang, I am sure it did have an effect," the diplomat added.

"They are not staying idle," another Western diplomat said.

According to HRW, Chinese officials pressured the UN to remove elements provided by UN experts and NGOs from the so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report and tried to block the accreditation of Uighur activist Dolkun Isa.

A UN official told AFP that "receiving pressure from governments attempting to silence critics is fairly common, but a particularly high number of these complaints come from China about the credibility of participants."

"This session was particularly bad," acknowledged the UN official, who asked not to be named.

HRW also charged that China had intentionally pushed friendly states to flood the speakers' list for the 20 minutes allocated to countries' concluding remarks.

Nearly 100 countries requested the right to speak -- over three times more than usual in this situation --&nbsp; but only 13 were permitted to take the floor.

In advance, the rights council drew the name of the first country, Mali, from a hat, and from there countries were called upon in alphabetical order, through to the Philippines.

This meant that most critical voices from Europe and North America were not called upon, with only Norway speaking up against China's Xinjiang policies.

Non-governmental organisations were also given a chance to speak, but there too, groups praising China grabbed six of the 10 available speaking slots.

"It speaks volumes that China felt it necessary to twist arms and mount propaganda displays to try to suppress scrutiny of its rights record," Fisher said.

Diplomats and activists on Monday denounced intense Chinese lobbying, pressure and even threats to rein in criticism of Beijing during last month's session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Diplomats and activists on Monday denounced intense Chinese lobbying, pressure and even threats to rein in criticism of Beijing during last month's session of the UN Human Rights Council. Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged that the Chinese mission in Geneva had sent a letter to a number of missions urging them to stay away from a US-organised event on March 13 about China's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province. The letter, signed by Ambassador Yu Jianhua and seen by AFP, tells countries "not to co-sponsor, participate in or be present at this side event... in the interest of our bilateral relations and continued multilateral cooperation." HRW slammed these "threats", with the organisation's Geneva director John Fisher warning that the public outcry over the treatment of Muslim minorities had "sent China into panic mode." Chinese officials, he said in a statement, are now "using public as well as private pressure to block concerted international action." The Chinese mission did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation and comment. But several diplomats confirmed to AFP that their missions had received the letter ahead of the event. It took place on the sidelines of the rights council's three-week session and focused on allegations that upwards of one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic minorities are being held in detention centres in Xinjiang. China maintains instead that the Uighurs and others are at "campuses" for vocational training set up to counter radicalisation. Xinjiang, which shares a border with several countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen violent unrest, which China claims is orchestrated by an organised "terrorist" movement seeking the region's independence. But many Uighurs and Xinjiang experts say the violence stems largely from spontaneous outbursts of anger at Chinese cultural and religious repression, and that Beijing plays up terrorism to justify tight control of the resource-rich region. 'Stage-manage everything' On Monday, several diplomats backed HRW's claim that China had exerted significant pressure on countries to speak on its behalf during the conclusion of a review of its rights record before the council on March 15. "They were doing their best to stage-manage everything," a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP. "When you see how few countries spoke up about Xinjiang, I am sure it did have an effect," the diplomat added. "They are not staying idle," another Western diplomat said. According to HRW, Chinese officials pressured the UN to remove elements provided by UN experts and NGOs from the so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report and tried to block the accreditation of Uighur activist Dolkun Isa. A UN official told AFP that "receiving pressure from governments attempting to silence critics is fairly common, but a particularly high number of these complaints come from China about the credibility of participants." "This session was particularly bad," acknowledged the UN official, who asked not to be named. HRW also charged that China had intentionally pushed friendly states to flood the speakers' list for the 20 minutes allocated to countries' concluding remarks. Nearly 100 countries requested the right to speak -- over three times more than usual in this situation -- but only 13 were permitted to take the floor. In advance, the rights council drew the name of the first country, Mali, from a hat, and from there countries were called upon in alphabetical order, through to the Philippines. This meant that most critical voices from Europe and North America were not called upon, with only Norway speaking up against China's Xinjiang policies. Non-governmental organisations were also given a chance to speak, but there too, groups praising China grabbed six of the 10 available speaking slots. "It speaks volumes that China felt it necessary to twist arms and mount propaganda displays to try to suppress scrutiny of its rights record," Fisher said.

Diplomats, activists decry Chinese 'threats' at UN rights council

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UN rights commissioner warns of escalating Myanmar violence

UN rights council to discuss probing 'systematic' abuses in Palestinian territories, Israel

UN Rights Council weighs approach to Myanmar coup

Diplomats, activists decry Chinese 'threats' at UN rights council