Since the passage in strength of the military, more than 1,500 civilians have been killed and nearly 9,000 are being held in regime jails.
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To mark the first anniversary of the coup that plunged Burma into violence, opponents of the junta called for silent strikes on Tuesday February 1st. Since the junta’s forcible entry, more than 1,500 civilians have been killed and nearly 9,000 are detained in regime jails, according to a local observatory which denounces cases of rape, torture and extrajudicial executions .
At dawn, villagers in the Sagaing region, in the center of the country, took to the streets and came to a standstill, according to images broadcast on social networks. Others sat down, doing the three-finger salute in resistance. In Yangon, students unfurled banners against the dictatorship, while demonstrators poured blood-red paint. Other larger actions are expected in the coming hours and many calls to close businesses are relayed on the internet.
Since the February 1, 2021 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi, several silent strikes have been carried out, including one in December that emptied the streets of the country. Ulcerated, the junta warned that such actions could now be qualified as high treason, a crime punishable by death. She also threatened to seize businesses that would remain closed, her supporters encouraging the population to denounce.