MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Myanmar

B9‑0122/2021

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Myanmar

(2021/2540(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Myanmar and on the situation of the Rohingya, notably those of 21 May 2015[1], 7 July 2016[2], 15 December 2016[3], 14 September 2017[4], 14 June 2018[5], 13 September 2018[6] and 19 September 2019[7],

– having regard to the statement of the Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell of 1 February 2021,

– having regard to the statement of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of 1 February 2021,

– having regard to the statement of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Monday 1 February 2021,

– having regard to the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the additional protocols thereto,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on Monday 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power of the country in a coup d’état; whereas the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and numerous other top government figures including Win Myint, Han Tha Myint and U Nyan Win were detained during the coup; whereas the detainees are being held in their official residences in the capital Naypyidaw;

B. whereas the army has announced that power has been handed to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing, and that it is declaring a national state of emergency for one year;

C. whereas the coup follows a landslide victory by Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in the elections of November 2020;

D. whereas the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) performed dismally in the poll and called for a new vote, claiming unfair campaigning from the winning party;

E. whereas Min Aung Hlaing will carry out an investigation into voting irregularities; whereas the military has stated that new elections would be held after the results of the electoral commission; whereas no specific date or period was mentioned for when the new elections would take place;

F. whereas there has been widespread disruption to the internet and access to news across the country, which affects people’s ability to get information or organise any response on social media; whereas nationwide social media restrictions have been implemented and the television exclusively broadcasts the military-owned Myawaddy TV channel;

G. whereas there have been protests against the coup in Myanmar; whereas the military does not allow demonstrations in support of the NLD; whereas the military organises demonstrations in support of the military;

H. whereas Suu Kyi has been charged with breaching import and export laws and possession of unlawful communication devices; whereas it appears that these communication devices are walkie-talkies;

I. whereas Suu Kyi came under fire internationally for failing to speak out on accusations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims in the western Rakhine State; whereas Suu Kyi continuously sided with the military, labelling the accusations ‘misinformation’;

J. whereas the government and the military are now facing an investigation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over accusations of genocide and an investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over accusations of crimes against humanity;

K. whereas Myanmar is home to around 135 major ethnic groups and seven ethnic minority states; whereas more than 100 languages are spoken in Myanmar; whereas the current and the previous governments and authorities of Myanmar have systematically discriminated against minorities in the country; whereas official policies towards certain minority groups have been described as apartheid and genocide; whereas 2.6 million ethnic minority voters were excluded from participating in the November 2020 elections;

1. Is extremely concerned about the situation in Myanmar; urges the military in Myanmar to immediately release all the NLD politicians who are currently being kept under house arrest and to reinstate the democratically elected government;

2. Is appalled by record of the Myanmar military; recalls the severe and continuous human rights violations that it has committed, its autocratic methods of governance and the restrictions it has imposed on the rights of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly;

3. Insists on the protection of peaceful protestors in Myanmar and urges the military to allow protests; calls on the military in Myanmar to release any political prisoners in the country immediately;

4. Is extremely worried about the attacks on human rights defenders in Myanmar; calls for the release of all detained human rights defenders in Myanmar;

5. Calls on the Council to impose targeted sanctions against those responsible for the coup and to consider other possible measures;

6. Emphasises that this coup should not distract attention from the criminal prosecution of those who are responsible for the attacks against the Rohingya population and those in power who allowed the killing to continue; reiterates that the work of the ICC should take place impartially, regardless of the political situation on the ground;

7. Is deeply concerned by the consistent discrimination against various minorities in the country, including their exclusion from participation in elections; insists that elections cannot and should never exclude voters based on their ethnicity;

8. Is deeply concerned by the digital blackout created by the military to limit communication and block information from leaving the country; urgently calls for the immediate re-establishment of the internet and phone connections in the country; urges the military to guarantee full access to internet and telephone services for its citizens, including those who are currently under house arrest; insists on the protection of the freedom of expression;

9. Insists that NGOs, journalists and independent observers be granted full access to the country; emphasises the need to provide humanitarian aid to those most in need; calls on the military to immediately allow for humanitarian aid to be provided throughout the country;

10. Reiterates its call for targeted sanctions against those who are responsible for what might constitute acts of genocide against the Rohingya people; further reiterates its call on the authorities of Myanmar to create conditions and guarantees for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return, under the oversight of the UN, of those Rohingya who wish to return to their native land; underlines the urgent need to begin the process of removing Myanmar’s trade preferences under the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ regime owing to the continuously deteriorating human rights situation in the country;

11. Emphasises that all those who are responsible for human rights violations in Myanmar need to be brought to justice;

12. Praises those who have spoken out against the coup in Myanmar; calls on the international community to institute new strict sanctions against the military in Myanmar; applauds United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his strong words on the actions of the Myanmar military and calls on the Commission, together with the UN, to strive to find a sustainable solution in Myanmar;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of Myanmar, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Human Rights Council.