OHCHR / MYANMAR

Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva, “it is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and to ensure that the perpetrators of systematic human rights violations and abuses are held to account”. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:06
• Production Date: 1 February 2022
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - UNHCHR
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: MYANMAR
• MAMS Id: 2705604
• Parent Id: 2705604
• Alternate Title: unifeed220201b

Description

STORY: OHCHR / MYANMAR
TRT: 2:06
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 01 FEBRUARY 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

FILE – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations, exterior

01 FEBRUARY 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“I also just wanted to restate what the High Commissioner called for on Friday. She is urging governments in the region and beyond, as well as businesses to listen to the pleas of the people of Myanmar. It is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and to ensure that the perpetrators of systematic human rights violations and abuses are held to account.”
4. Med shot, podium, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“They gave accounts of journalists being tortured while factory workers being intimidated, silenced, exploited, being told that if they complained, they would be arrested by the military. Intensified persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, including the Rohingya. Arbitrary arrests. Detentions. Clearance operations targeting villagers. Indiscriminate attacks, including through airstrikes. And the use of heavy weaponry in villages in different parts of Myanmar. And yet these courageous human rights defenders continue to advocate for a risk to restoration of civilian rule.”
6. Med shot, podium, briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We have documented 1500 people who have been killed, but this is only in the context of protests. So killings of protesters killings in the context of protests, which means where security forces have entered people's homes, conducted raids and killed them. And these also include people who were killed while in custody while in military custody. Some 200 of them were killed due to torture in military custody.”
8. Med shot, participants
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We have not been able to collect or to verify any figures. We do understand that they are in the thousands and there are other organisations out there that have put out figures, but we haven't been able to confirm, you know, whether these figures are reliable or what their methodology has been. So 1500 confirmed and thousands more due to the armed conflict.”
10. Wide shot, podium

Storyline

Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva today (1 February), “it is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and to ensure that the perpetrators of systematic human rights violations and abuses are held to account”.

Shamdasani emphasized OHCHR's call for governments in the region and beyond, as well as businesses, to listen to the pleas of the people of Myanmar, one year after the military coup.

Talking about last week meeting held by the High Commissioner with some civil society actors on Myanmar, OHCHR spokesperson said, “they gave accounts of journalists being tortured; of factory workers being intimidated, silenced, exploited – being told that if they complained, they would be arrested by the military; intensified persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, including the Rohingya; arbitrary arrests; detentions; clearance operations targeting villagers; indiscriminate attacks, including through airstrikes and the use of heavy weaponry in villages in different parts of Myanmar. And yet these courageous human rights defenders continue to advocate for the restoration of civilian rule.”

The UN Human rights office has so far documented 1,500 killings linked to dissent since the military coup in February 2021, “which means where security forces have entered people's homes, conducted raids and killed them. And these also include people who were killed while in custody, while in military custody,” explained Shamdasani.

The 1,500 figure does not include people who were killed due to the armed conflict. Shamdasani said, “we do understand that they are in the thousands and there are other organisations out there that have put out figures, but we haven't been able to confirm, you know, whether these figures are reliable or what their methodology has been.”