The United Kingdom, the European Union and 19 other countries in the United Nations Human Rights Council called on Monday for an urgent meeting on the situation in Burma after the coup.
The UK ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Julian Braithwaite, declared that this request “is in response to the state of emergency imposed in Burma and the arbitrary detention of democratically elected political leaders and members of civil society”.
“We must respond urgently to the challenge facing the Burmese people and the humanitarian situation, which is rapidly deteriorating,” he added during a council meeting.
Tens of thousands of Burmese have been demonstrating in the streets since last week’s coup to oppose the army’s return to power. There have been dozens of arrests and interruptions in the country’s internet supply.
The British ambassador indicated that the group proposing this urgent meeting would inform the rest of the council’s members to draft a resolution in this regard.
The emergency meeting, which needs the approval of a third of the council’s 47 members, something largely bypassed in this case, must be held before the regular session of the council that begins on February 22.
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