(United Nations) The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted for the first time in decades a resolution on the situation in Burma, calling for an end to violence and the release of all political prisoners, including former leader Aung. San Suu Kyi.
The Security Council had never managed to overcome its disagreements on this country to adopt a resolution and had never gone beyond the stage of formal declarations.
The resolution adopted on Wednesday was approved by 12 votes in favor and none against. China and Russia abstained, renouncing to use their right of veto which would have blocked this initiative.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, was arrested as head of government in the February 2021 military coup that ended a decade of democratic transition in the country of South East Asia.
Since then, Burma has been plagued by chaos and violence and its economy in tatters. More than 2,500 civilians were killed by the security forces, according to the assessment of a local NGO.
The resolution “urges” the military “to immediately release all arbitrarily detained prisoners”, citing former President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi.
The text also demands “the immediate cessation of all forms of violence” and asks “all parties to respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law”.