MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) The United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the WTO & UN in Geneva, Julian Braithwaite, on Friday read a letter to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) which he says was received on behalf of the 300 detained lawmakers in Myanmar.
Braithwaite read the letter, which called on the council to investigate human rights violations committed by the military authority, at an extraordinary session on Myanmar.
"We urge you to immediately investigate the following matters which undermine any peaceful transition to democracy in Myanmar, regional stability and international peace and security," the ambassador read out loud.
The letter went on to say that the military authorities have made arbitrary detentions of hundreds of lawmakers, including the leadership of the country, as well as scores of civil rights activists and citizens participating in civil disobedience.
Reading from the letter, Braithwaite added that the military has drafted a telecommunications bill intended to restrict freedom of speech in the country by controlling access to the internet and mobile services.
The 47-member council is debating a resolution to strongly condemn the military coup and call for release of the detainees and lift the one-year state of emergency. The spokesperson for the UK mission at the Geneva-based international organizations, Ravini Senanayake, told Sputnik a day earlier that 22 countries have already agreed to back the resolution.
