For more than thirty years, the United Nations has been documenting human rights violations by the Burmese military which break international law.

In 2018 the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar reported that there was evidence that the Burmese military has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya and war crimes against ethnic minorities in Kachin and Shan States.

The Burmese military is being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The International Court of Justice has agreed to hear a case that Burma is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention following the Burmese military offensive against Rohingya civilians, mostly children, in 2017.

On 1st February 2021, the Burmese military held an illegal coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government, shooting peaceful protesters on the streets and arresting and illegally detaining thousands of people. Tens of thousands of ethnic civilians have been forced to flee their homes after Burmese military attacks.

It’s time for a global arms embargo.