What Matters No. 35
(This article is a translation of the original Burmese language article that ISP-Myanmar posted on its Facebook page on July 2, 2021.)
∎ Key findings in brief
Following the February 1, 2021, coup d’état, mass protests erupted across Myanmar. Because of the SAC-led crackdowns on mass protests and injuries inflicted on people held in detention centers, as of July 1, 2021, there have been at least 885 civilian deaths. Moreover, many more people received injuries. the state security forces continued to commit ongoing and widespread violations of human rights and human dignity. As of July 1, the AAPP recorded 817 deaths, but there are likely many more.
There were more than 52 additional casualties between May 29 to July 1. The age group sustaining the highest number of causalities was the one with people aged between 18 and 30 while the group of people aged between 31 and 40 years old were the second highest. The age group between 41´and 50 years old ranks third in terms of mortality. Among the 636 people whose cause of deaths were identified, 16 percent (104 victims) suffered lethal, deliberate headshots. The highest death toll was in Yangon Region followed by Mandalay Region. Among the 52 deaths in July, 12 people were killed in Mandalay Region, the highest deaths by region, and 10 deaths occurred in Sagaing Region.
The SAC claims that AAPP’s figures are inflated and inaccurate. According to the SAC, 251 protestors died during the period from February 1 to April 15. During the same period, the SAC claims that 24 members of state security forces died and that the ant-junta People’s Defense Forces killed 17 people accused of being SAC informants. At a press conference on June 12, a spokesperson for the SAC said that 173 people died as a result of the violent conflicts. However, these figures from the SAC are biased and no independent organization has verified them.
∎ Why does it matter?
It matters to look at civilian fatalities, casualties, and their causes resulted in the SAC’s violent repressions on the protestors including the targeted shootings as they can offer a way to examine whether or not armed forces have violated human rights from a transitional justice perspective.
∎ Other relevant readings:
AAPP has collected detailed data about the anti-junta protestors killed or injured during the SAC’s violent crackdowns. Since the February 1st coup, AAPP has kept records on the number and causes of protesters’ deaths, the ways the state security forces respond to anti-coup protests, and evidence of human rights and human dignity violations by the state security forces. Daily logs are available on the organization’s website and Facebook page. Information can also be sent to AAPP for people who are not yet on the AAPP’s death toll list.
∎Source
Karen Information Center. (2021, May 30).
[Four members of SAC security forces died and two cars destroyed due to the armed clashes between KNU and the SAC forces within a day].
