UN rights expert says China and Russia arming Myanmar junta

UNSecurity Council membersChinaandRussia, as well as Serbia have continued supplying Myanmar's junta with weapons used to attack civilians since last year's coup, aUNrightsexpertsaid Tuesday.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on therightssituation inMyanmar, Tom Andrews, urged the Security Council to convene an emergency session "to debate and vote on a resolution to, at a minimum, ban those arms transfers that theMyanmarmilitary are known to use to attack and killMyanmarcivilians."

He released a long-awaited report Tuesday detailing where thejuntais getting its weapons from, highlighting that two permanent members of the Security Council itself, who hold veto power over its decisions, remain among the main suppliers.

"Despite the evidence of the militaryjunta's atrocity crimes being committed with impunity since launching a coup last year,UNSecurity Council membersRussiaandChinacontinue to provide the Myanmar military junta with numerous fighter jets, armoured vehicles, and in the case ofRussia, the promise of further arms," Andrews said in a statement.

"During this same period, Serbia has authorised rockets and artillery for export to theMyanmarmilitary," said Andrews, who is an independentexpertappointed by theUNHuman RightsCouncil, but who does not speak on behalf of the world body.

'Crimes against humanity'

In his report, he maintained that the arms transfers by the three countries had "occurred with the full knowledge that they would be used to attack civilians, in probable violation of international law."

Myanmarhas been in chaos, its economy paralysed, and more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in a military crackdown since the putsch in February 2021, according to theUN.

Since the February 1, 2021 coup, at least 12,000 people have been detained, including the de facto head of the civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, while more than 440,000 people have been forcibly displaced.

Andrews reiterated in his report that "there is strong evidence thejuntahas committed war crimes and crimes against humanity," including murder, sexual violence and torture.

"The situation ofhuman rightsinMyanmaris dire and deteriorating," it said.

The report provides an overview of countries that have authorised the transfer of weapons toMyanmarsince 2018, when the military's attacks on the Rohingya ethnic minority were widely documented and after aUNfact-finding mission had urged an arms embargo.

Israel, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Belarus and Ukraine also figure on that list, although onlyChina,Russiaand Serbia have continued their transfers since the coup.

'Imperative'

TheUNGeneral Assembly adopted a resolution last June calling for countries to prevent the flow of arms toMyanmar, but Andrews said that it had failed to have "any discernible impact on the crisis and the capacity of thejuntato launch attacks on civilians."

He pointed out that while none of the Security Council members had voted against that resolution, the council had also not even considered voting to make the text binding for member states.

"It is imperative that member states and the Security Council act urgently to stop weapons sales to the militaryjunta. Human lives, and Security Council credibility, are on the line," he said.

The report acknowledges thatChinaandRussiamight very well use their veto power to block any such text, but stressed that this "should not deter other members from placing a resolution before the Council for consideration, debate and a vote."

"The people ofMyanmardeserve to have a strong resolution."

"The Security Council should consider, at the very least, a resolution to ban weapons that are being used by theMyanmarmilitary to kill innocent people," Andrews said.

Watch |Myanmar junta driving drug trade | Narcotics