Delivered by: H.E. Ms Anna Jardfelt, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN in Geneva
Thank you, President.
I deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic States.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his update on the deeply concerning situation in Myanmar. We strongly support his mandate.
We continue to condemn the military coup in the strongest possible terms and reiterate our call on the military to immediately end all forms of violence and abuses against the people of Myanmar. The right to freedom of opinion and expression, both on- and offline, and the freedom of assembly, must be guaranteed. The systematic intimidation and persecution of the people of Myanmar for exercising their human rights must be stopped, and all those arbitrarily detained – including political leaders, journalists, human rights defenders, and others - must be released. We particularly emphasise our concern for the situation of women human right defenders, who have played a leading role in the civil protests. We also emphasize the importance of non-discrimination and of combatting SGBV.
Ensuring accountability for serious international crimes remains critical.
Special Rapporteur,
We are witnessing an escalating political, economic, and humanitarian crisis, impacting persons already in vulnerable situations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Unimpeded humanitarian access must be ensured.
Special Rapporteur,
How, can the international community at this time best support the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons in Myanmar and contribute to establish a peaceful path to democracy?