UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) A total of 22 countries at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) have already co-sponsored draft resolution that deplores the recent military coup in Myanmar, head of Public Affairs at the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations in Geneva Ravini Senanayake told Sputnik on Thursday.
"Twenty-two countries have now come on board," Senanayake said when asked how many countries have co-sponsored so far the document drafted jointly by the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The resolution will be submitted for a vote at the 47-member Human Rights Council on Friday after holding a special session on the human rights situation in Myanmar during the ongoing crisis.
The draft document "strongly deplores" the seizure of power by the military in Myanmar and calls on it to urgently release of all those it had detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
The Human Rights Council urges the military and security forces to show utmost restraint and refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters and calls for the immediate lifting of restrictions on the internet and telecommunication services.
Holding the session on Mynamar was supported by 51 countries, including the United States that rejoined the Human Rights Council earlier this week as an observer state.
The Myanmar coup unfolded on February 1 as the military arrested senior members of the newly-elected parliament right before it was due to convene for an inaugural session. The military declared a state of emergency for one year, pledging to hold a new election after it expires.
