We write this communiqué on behalf of various organizations representing people with disabilities from across Myanmar to urgently request you to take all necessary measures to help us end the serious human rights violations and disruption of democratization and peace process in Myanmar.
The military has carried out a coup d’état on Monday 1st of February 2021 led by senior general Min Aung Hlaing. The country’s elected president Win Myint and state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, and many other elected members of parliaments, political figures and activists have been unlawfully detained. On the 8th February 2021, Martial law has been declared prohibiting public speech and any gathering of five persons or more in public areas and a curfew was also in force from 20:00 to 04:00.
We, people with disabilities, are participating in resistance to the coup with fellow Myanmar citizens across the country and supporting a civil disobedience movement to our utmost capacity. The coup comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis which is hitting the country’s economy, health system, people's health and livelihoods hardest. Moreover, it overturns our progress of implementing the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, sustainable development goals, ASEAN enabling master plan 2025, Incheon Strategy, domestic disability rights law and other international and regional human rights treaties which our years of efforts have been invested in. We are seriously concerned about the threatening conditions in transitions to democracy in our country as well as peace and basic human rights of all Myanmar citizens.
Therefore;・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability strongly condemn the military’s unlawful action on a coup d’état and call for immediate end to all violations, unconditional respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particularly the right to life, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the right to access information.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability urge the coup leaders to release all detainees including civil society leaders and return of power to an elected democratic government.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability urge UN-CRPD Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Disabled People International (DPI), World Blind Union, International Disability Alliance, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), all Donor Agencies and Development Partners, all international and regional disability alliances to stand with us and begin the process of overthrowing the military dictatorship.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability urge the UN and governments of friend countries to give more serious and effective support on the movements of people including persons with disabilities in Myanmar and increase the pressure on the junta in various ways.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability urge the local and international media to spotlight more on the civil movements of persons with disability and amplify the voices of people with disabilities and people without disability to be heard by the people around the world.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability urge all the stakeholders responsible for human rights, democracy and peace to create the inclusive and better future of Myanmar respecting the commitment of “No One Left Behind”.
・We, people with disabilities and organizations of persons with disability welcome and fully support the formation of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) formed by the elected members of parliament on the 5th of February 2021.