Michelle Bachelet  

At least 54 people have been killed and over 1,700 detained since Myanmar’s February 1 coup, the United Nations rights chief said on Thursday.

The comments come after the deadliest day of protests in Myanmar, with at least 38 dead on Wednesday in rallies where security forces were seen firing at crowds.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged security forces to “halt their vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters”.

“Myanmar’s military must stop murdering and jailing protesters,” she said in a statement. “It is utterly abhorrent that security forces are firing live ammunition against peaceful protesters across the country,” she added. Ms. Bachelet said she was “appalled at the documented attacks against emergency medical staff and ambulances attempting to provide care to those who have been injured”.

The UN rights office said it had corroborated information that at least 54 people had been killed since February 1. “The actual death toll, however, could be much higher as these are the figures the office has been able to verify,” it said.

Since the coup, more than 1,700 people have also been “arbitrarily arrested and detained in relation to their participation in protests or engagement in political activity”, the statement said.

At least 700 people were detained on Wednesday alone, with many of them reportedly swept up as soldiers and police conducted door-to-door searches. Those arrested include parliamentarians, political and rights activists, election officials, teachers, healthcare workers, journalists and monks, it said.

“Many of the arbitrary arrests and detentions that have been carried out since February 1 may constitute enforced disappearances,” Ms. Bachelet said, calling for the release of all those who remain arbitrarily detained.

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