This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the 61st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar held on March 13, 2026.
Over five years on from the military coup, the Myanmar junta’s assault on the population has decimated every facet of life in the country.
The junta’s sham elections in December and January were organized to ensure a win for the military’s proxy party and obtain legitimacy for a military-controlled state – a capstone of its efforts to crush all political opposition and derail the restoration of civilian rule.
The military’s atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, escalated over the past year. With increased support from China and Russia, military air and drone strikes reached new highs in 2025, killing thousands of civilians.
The military’s recruitment of child soldiers and its use of internationally banned cluster munitions and antipersonnel landmines have greatly expanded since the coup.
More than 12 million people are facing acute hunger due to humanitarian blockages, foreign aid cuts, and economic collapse.
The country’s surge in trafficking, scam centers, unregulated resource extraction, and drug production has led to new global threats. Yet despite the crisis’ growing impact on regional peace and security, it has been met with dwindling international aid and attention.
The fifth anniversary of the coup should prompt states to renew efforts to more effectively pressure and isolate the junta, while expanding humanitarian, political, and technical support for Myanmar civil society and political opposition groups.
States should reject the outcome of the fraudulent elections and the resulting so-called parliamentary body, which only serve to entrench Myanmar’s military-dominated repression and abuses against its own people.
