Swiss call for ‘concrete’ UN Security Council action on Myanmar
Anti-coup protests continue in Myanmar amid intensifying violent crackdowns on demonstrators by security forces.
Keystone / Lynn Bo Bo
Switzerland has called for “concrete measures” by the United Nations Security Council on Myanmar during a debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.
It was taking part in an “interactive dialogue” at the UN rights council with Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, and other states.
Andrews told the council that the military junta had “murdered” at least 70 people since its February 1 coup, perpetrating killings, torture and persecution that may constitute crimes against humanity. Over half of those killed were under the age of 25, he added.
More than 2,000 people have been unlawfully detained since the military seized power and the violence is steadily increasing, according to the investigator.
Chan Aye, permanent secretary of Myanmar’s foreign affairs ministry, replied that the authorities had been focused on maintaining law and order. “The authorities have been exercising utmost restraint to deal with violent protests,” he said.
China and Russia – which have close ties to Myanmar’s military – called for steps toward reconciliation, while also upholding the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
Andrews, meanwhile, called for imposing multilateral sanctions on the junta leaders and on the military-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. “Sanctions will only be truly effective if they are unified and coordinated,” he said.
Growing concerns
In recent weeks, western governments and experts have voiced growing concerns about the situation in Myanmar. On March 6, Christine Schraner Burgener, the Swiss Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Myanmar tweeted that “the use of force against peaceful protestors may amount to serious human rights violations or crimes against humanity in Myanmar”. The Geneva-based Independent Investigative Mechanism for MyanmarExternal link is collecting evidence to facilitate criminal prosecutions, she added.
On Thursday, Switzerland said it supported the UN Special Rapporteur’s calls. Switzerland is worried about the “violent repression carried out these past few days” and the “illegal use of force” against peaceful protestors, Félix Baumann, a senior official at the Swiss mission to the UN in Geneva, declared.
Switzerland condemned the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms and called for civilian authorities to be re-established and for people who had been arbitrarily detained to be freed.
More
More
Coup in Myanmar: What can the UN do?
This content was published on
Officials at the Geneva-based UN evidence-gathering body for serious crimes in Myanmar are closely watching events in the southeast Asian nation.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
An atomic ‘tick-tock’ with Swiss technology heads to space to test the Einstein effect
This content was published on
On Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the ACES set of atomic clocks to measure the effect of gravity on the passage of time.
Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed following Pope Francis death
This content was published on
The swearing-in ceremony of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which usually takes place on May 6 each year, has been postponed to a date to be announced next autumn.
Swiss medical device maker Ypsomed to sell diabetes business
This content was published on
Bern-based injection device manufacturer Ypsomed announced on Tuesday that it was selling its diabetes-related activities.
Award-winning Swiss author and scholar Peter von Matt dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Alemannic writer and former professor of German literature Peter von Matt died on Monday in Zurich at the age of 87, following a long illness.
Swiss foreign minister spoke with Iranian counterpart about US dialogue
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has spoken with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi about the current dialogue between the US and Iran.
Swiss foreign minister appeals for cohesion and dialogue at Expo in Japan
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis called for cohesion and dialogue at the opening of the Swiss National Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on Tuesday.
Switzerland postpones launch of emergency number for domestic violence victims
This content was published on
The launch of the “142” emergency number, which aims to help victims of domestic violence in Switzerland, has been postponed to May 2026.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Coup in Myanmar: What can the UN do?
This content was published on
Officials at the Geneva-based UN evidence-gathering body for serious crimes in Myanmar are closely watching events in the southeast Asian nation.
This content was published on
On Monday, the Swiss diplomat told Swiss public television SRF that the situation is extremely concerning. “It would be catastrophic if Myanmar takes a step back to 2011 when the country had been under a dictatorship for 50 years,” said Schraner Burgener. “We fear that all attempts to democratise the country will again be crushed…
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has urged Myanmar’s military, which seized power on Monday in a coup, to “immediately suspend its actions”.
This content was published on
Political parties in Myanmar have signed a code of conduct for peaceful elections and a fair election campaign. Switzerland served as the mediator.
This content was published on
Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Geneva-based Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, explains the status of the new evidence-gathering body.
Meet the Swiss woman charged with bringing peace to Myanmar
This content was published on
How do you help a country from which nearly a million fled? This is the task facing UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland.
Mechanism sends ‘strong signal to perpetrators of crimes in Syria’
This content was published on
More and more European countries, including Germany, France, Sweden and Austria, are prosecuting people for war crimes in Syria.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.