U.N. EXPERTS CALL ON PUBLIC TO DOCUMENT CRIMES ORDERED BY JUNTA

GENEVA/ROME: A UN team of investigators on Myanmar has appealed for people to collect and preserve documentary evidence of crimes ordered by the military since a February 1 coup, in order to build future cases against its leaders.

More than 180 protesters have been killed in the southeast Asian nation by security forces trying to crush a wave of demonstrations since the junta seized power, says activist group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

“The persons most responsible for the most serious international crimes are usually those in high leadership positions,” Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the UN team, said in a statement.

“They are not the ones who physically perpetrate the crimes and often are not even present at the locations where the crimes are committed.

“To prove their responsibility requires evidence of reports received, orders given and how policies were set.” People with such information should contact the investigators through secure means of communication, he added, citing apps such as Signal or a ProtonMail account.

On Tuesday, the UN human rights office condemned the use of live ammunition against the Myanmar protesters, saying, “We call on the military to stop killing and detaining protesters.”

Pope symbolically kneels in plea for peace

Pope Francis on Wednesday appealed for bloodshed to end and dialogue to prevail in Myanmar, saying he symbolically kneels in that country’s streets, where protests against the military takeover were continuing and the death toll has mounted.

At the end of his traditional public comments to faithful worldwide, Francis said “yet again, and with so much sadness”, he felt the need to “evoke the dramatic situation in Myanmar, where so many persons are losing their life to offer hope to their country”.