UN human rights chief: At least 54 killed, over 1,700 detained since Myanmar coup
04 March 2021
Police and military officers in Myanmar have killed at least 54 people during anti-coup protests, while "arbitrarily" detaining over 1,700 people, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said Thursday.
Why it matters: Protesters have demonstrating across Myanmar for nearly a month, demanding the restoration of democracy after the country's military leaders overthrew its democratically elected government on Feb. 1.
- The death toll of the crackdown "could be much higher as these are the figures the Office has been able to verify," the UN Human Rights Office wrote in a news release.
Bachalet called for Myanmar officials to “halt their vicious crackdown on peaceful protestors,” and expressed concern over the country targeting journalists.
- At least 29 journalists have been arrested in recent days according to reports, the UN said.
What they're saying: “It is utterly abhorrent that security forces are firing live ammunition against peaceful protesters across the country," Bachalet said. "I am also appalled at the documented attacks against emergency medical staff and ambulances attempting to provide care to those who have been injured.”
- “This is the moment to turn the tables towards justice and end the military’s stranglehold over democracy in Myanmar.”
Go deeper:Journalists face record levels of persecution globally
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.