ミャンマーで死者急増、強制失踪は数百人に　国連が非難

【ジュネーブＡＦＰ＝時事】国連は16日、ミャンマーでは先月1日に発生したクーデター以降、デモ弾圧による死者の急増や被拘束者への拷問に加え、数百人が治安当局に連行され行方不明になっているとして、軍事政権を強く非難した。（写真は資料写真）
　国連人権高等弁務官事務所（ＯＨＣＨＲ）のラビナ・シャムダサニ報道官は記者団に対し、同事務所が公式に把握している２月１日以降の死者数は１４９人だが、実際はそれよりもはるかに多いのは確実だと語った。
　人権監視団体「政治囚支援協会（ＡＡＰＰ）」によると、１４日だけで７４人が死亡するなど、クーデター以降の死者数は１８０人以上に上っている。
　シャムダサニ氏によると、治安部隊によって恣意（しい）的に逮捕され、現在も身柄を拘束されている市民は少なくとも２０８４人に上る。同氏は「ここ数週間で少なくとも５人が拘束下で死亡した」とし、「少なくとも２人の遺体に、拷問されたことを示す、ひどい身体的虐待の痕があった」と述べた。
　同氏は、不法に拘束された人のうち数百人が行方不明になっており、軍当局も拘束の事実を認めておらず、これらのケースは国家機関などが人の自由を奪う「強制失踪」に当たると述べた。
　ミャンマーでは、治安部隊が国際社会の求めに応じず、反クーデターデモの参加者に対して殺傷力のある武器を用いた弾圧をエスカレートさせている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/18-10:54）

The UN on Tuesday decried surging deaths in Myanmar since the February 1 coup, warning that detained protesters were facing torture and hundreds had disappeared.
The death toll has soared over the past week in Myanmar, where security forces have been using lethal force increasingly aggressively against peaceful protesters, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters.
In total, she said, the office had corroborated that a total of 149 people had died in the crackdown on protests since February 1, but stressed that the actual number was surely much higher.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 180 people have been killed, including 74 on Sunday alone.
In addition to the killings, Shamdasani warned that security forces were continuing to arbitrarily arrest and detain people throughout the country, with at least 2,084 people currently being held.
Deeply distressing reports of torture in custody have also emerged, she said.
The office had determined that at least five deaths in custody have occurred in recent weeks, she said, adding that at least two victims' bodies have shown signs of severe physical abuse indicating that they were tortured.
- 'Enforced disappearances' -
In addition, hundreds of people who have been unlawfully detained remain unaccounted for and have not been acknowledged by the military authorities.
This, Shamdasani said, amounts to enforced disappearances.
Her comment came after security forces escalated the use of lethal force against anti-coup protesters, despite international appeals for restraint.
Much of the country has been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand a return to democracy.
Shamdasani voiced concern that the UN rights office was facing increasing difficulty confirming information on the ground, pointing to the imposition of martial law in a range of townships in and around Yangon and Mandalay.
In addition, many of the working-class neighbourhoods where people had been killed had been cut off through state-imposed communication blackouts.
A dramatic crackdown on the media in the country was also complicating getting hold of information, she said, pointing out that at least 37 journalists had been arrested, while five major Myanmar news outlets had seen their licences withdrawn.
The UN rights office said the death toll had risen sharply in recent days, with 11 deaths on Monday, 39 on Sunday and 18 on Saturday.
Shamdasani said the figures, surely an underestimate, included people killed in the Yangon township Hlaing Tharyar during a violent crackdown... by security forces after unknown actors set fire to Chinese-operated or -invested factories.