206 domestic and international civil society organizations in Myanmar have sent an open letter to the UN General Assembly and its member states, urging them to condemn the terrorist military’s sham election and support the Myanmar people’s democratic aspirations. The letter, sent on September 4, calls for the complete rejection of the military’s fake election and clear support for the Myanmar people’s efforts to establish a democratic federal union. The organizations urged the UN to retain Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun as Myanmar’s Permanent Representative, end the mandate of the Special Envoy on Myanmar, and have the UN Secretary-General lead efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis.
The civil society organizations pointed out that the military lacks both political and legal legitimacy to conduct elections and has no territorial or administrative control necessary for holding elections. They emphasized that over the past two months, the military regime has escalated its aerial attacks, artillery strikes, and ground operations in areas where the democratic resistance movement maintains territorial and administrative control. The organizations criticized the military’s intense attacks on civilians as demonstrating its use of violence to force participation in its sham election, noting how the regime is attempting to leverage instability and humanitarian crises to consolidate political opposition.
The letter calls on the UN General Assembly to demand the immediate release of over 22,000 political prisoners, highlighting systematic torture, sexual violence, and gender-based violence in prisons. The organizations stressed that the military’s planned December 28 election is illegitimate, representing an attempt to gain legitimacy while escalating violence, oppression, and brutal crimes against civilians. They emphasized that no election conducted by the military regime can override the legitimacy of Myanmar’s last free and fair election results, and therefore any attempt by the military to secure UN representation must be completely rejected, as the military remains devoid of democratic legitimacy and effective control while systematically committing international crimes.
The civil society organizations urged that the Special Envoy’s mandate be terminated and the UN Secretary-General urgently lead international coordination to end the military’s escalating violence, ensure accountability for military crimes, and support the Myanmar people’s revolution for an inclusive federal democracy. They emphasized that the military’s actions demonstrate its complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law, as evidenced by its continued detention of political prisoners and systematic use of torture and abuse against those in custody.
