Link to the Source (Progressive Voice Myanmar) HERE. 

To:       The European Parliament
CC:      President of the European Parliament
Leaders of the Political Groups of the European Parliament
The European Commission
The European External Action Service

3 December 2024

Appeal for European Parliament Action on Myanmar: Denounce the Junta’s Sham Election, Support Democracy, and Pursue Justice for Gross Human Rights Violations and Atrocity Crimes

Your Excellencies,

We, 276 Myanmar and Europe-based civil society organizations, urgently appeal to the European Parliament to take the following actions:

•       Pass a new resolution on Myanmar that unequivocally denounces the Myanmar military junta’s plan for sham election
•       Provide for concrete support for Myanmar’s legitimate democracy stakeholders
•       Provide increased support for justice and accountability initiatives, including but not limited to, the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute crimes committed in Myanmar and attached to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
•       Reiterate the European Parliament’s call in previous resolutions for the UN Security Council’s referral of the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court

Myanmar’s human rights and humanitarian crisis is worsening with each passing day. The junta has severely escalated its horrific atrocities against civilians across the country, including violent ground raids and airstrikes targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. In the first eight months of 2024 alone, the junta conducted an average of seven airstrikes per day—totaling at least 1,639 airstrikes, amounting to nearly half of total airstrikes since the coup attempt in February 2021. The junta’s airstrikes are fueled by aviation fuel supplied under the guise of humanitarian aid delivery, enabling the continued assault on civilians.

These attacks have particularly targeted and affected religious and ethnic minorities—bombing schools in session, religious buildings including churches, medical facilities, and displacement camps. Arson by the junta has been rampant and destroyed at least 105,314 civilian properties as of August. Since the coup attempt, over 3.4 million have been displaced within Myanmar, with hundreds of thousands more across the border.[1] 27,751 people have been detained, including 580 children, with 170 sentenced to death.

Amidst its intensifying violence, the junta has announced plans for a general election in 2025. With no legality and legitimacy, it is completely impossible for the junta to conduct a genuine census, let alone an election. Worse, the junta has resorted to coercion, forcing individuals at gunpoint to participate in the census, a tactic likely to be mirrored in its sham election. A significant majority—86% of the country’s territory and 67% of its population—remains outside its stable control. Any election held under these conditions will not be legitimate, let alone free and fair. It will not represent the will of the people. Nor will it contribute to genuine power-sharing among ethnic and religious communities across Myanmar, making it impossible for sustainable peace. Instead, it will perpetuate the cycle of military dictatorship, violence, and impunity.

Despite the junta’s absolute lack of legitimacy, China and Russia have endorsed and pledged support for the junta’s plan for sham election, both technical and financial. China, for example, plans to contribute around CNY 150 million (EUR 20 million) to fund the junta’s sham census. Meanwhile, the military junta has publicly endorsed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both Russia and the junta have supported and benefited from each other. If the junta succeeds in gaining legitimacy, the political and economic implications will reach far beyond the Southeast Asian Region.

The people of Myanmar need support from the European Parliament to unequivocally denounce the sham election of the illegal junta. The European Parliament must send a clear and decisive message to authoritarian regimes that continue to support the Myanmar military junta, urging them to stand in support of the Myanmar people’s aspirations and efforts for genuine federal democracy. These authoritarian regimes are not only enabling the military junta’s efforts to claim legitimacy but also aiding and abetting its atrocity crimes, while pressuring Myanmar’s democratic stakeholders to return to “normalcy” under another cycle of military rule.

The European Parliament has already recognized the National Unity Government (NUG) as the legitimate government of Myanmar and called for support in its efforts to “move towards a peaceful and democratic future”. The European Union’s continued political, financial, and technical support for Myanmar’s legitimate stakeholders, including the NUG, ethnic resistance organizations (EROs), and local civil society organizations, is vital to dismantling military tyranny and promoting a democracy that is inclusive of all ethnic and religious communities.

On the ground, Myanmar people are making immense sacrifices defending their lives and freedom, and building a future of federal democracy, peace, and sustainable governance—free from military tyranny. Bottom-up governance systems—ethnically led and representative of the people’s votes in the general election in November 2020—are set up and operational to serve and govern the people, including the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State. Through local governance systems, public services are provided to local populations, including education, humanitarian aid, healthcare, livelihood support, law enforcement, and access to justice.

We look to your leadership to continue to stand with the people of Myanmar and their legitimate representatives. We appeal to the European Parliament to urgently adopt a resolution that unequivocally denounces the junta’s plan for sham election and urge the European Commission to impose targeted sanctions on all nodes of the aviation fuel supply chain. Furthermore, the European Union should support Myanmar’s locally led governance systems and institutions across Myanmar.

Ensuring accountability for the junta’s genocide against Rohingya and war crimes and crimes against humanity against other ethnic minorities across Myanmar is essential for a future built on justice and durable peace. We call for increased support for justice initiatives: the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute crimes committed in Myanmar, attached to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar; and concrete support for cases under universal jurisdiction. This must be complemented by robust support for local human rights documentation and evidence collection efforts, including protection, technical support, and communications for civil society groups, human rights defenders and documenters, as well as independent media at the frontline.

We further urge the European Parliament to reiterate your existing call for the UN Security Council’s referral of the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC). While we recognize the ICC Prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing as a significant step in the right direction for justice for the Rohingya community, we look forward to an ICC referral that covers the commission of international crimes across the territory of Myanmar.

The letter was signed by 276  civil society organizations, including 60 organizations that have chosen not to disclose their names. 

Download the PDF file HERE.