UN condemns Myanmar military coup, calls for arms embargo
18 June 2021
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday condemned Myanmar's military coup and called for an arms embargo against the country, AP reports.
Why it matters: The rare move demonstrates widespread global opposition to Myanmar's military junta, which overthrew the country's democratically elected government and seized power on Feb. 1.
The big picture: Hundreds have been killed and thousands arrested in the military's crackdown on anti-coup demonstrators.
- Myanmar's deposed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained officials were formally charged by the military junta last week.
- Friday's non-binding resolution calls on the military to immediately and unconditionally release President Win Myint, Suu Kyi and other officials, as well as "all those who have been arbitrarily detained, charged or arrested," according to AP.
- The resolution was passed with 119 countries voting "yes," Belarus voting "no," and 36 countries abstaining, per AP.
Go deeper: UN human rights chief condemns military build-up in Myanmar
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.