Myanmar’s ousted MPS form shadow government UN: 71 journalists arrested since February

A “parliament” working in hiding to oust Myanmar’s junta from power announced a new shadow government Friday, with deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi at its helm alongside ethnic minority politicians.

The country has been in turmoil since the military detained Suu Kyi and seized power, triggering a massive uprising that the junta has sought to quell with lethal force, according to AFP.

Besides demanding a return to democracy, protesters are also increasingly calling for more of a governing role for the country’s minority groups -which have long seen their voices marginalized by the ethnic Bamar majority.

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) — a group of lawmakers mostly from Suu Kyi’s party attempting to govern underground via a shadow parliament — on Friday announced its leaders.

Helming the so-called “National Unity Government” is Suu Kyi, in her position as state counsellor, and President Win Myint. Both are under house arrest and facing a barrage of charges from the junta.

More than 720 people have been killed in unrest since the coup, according to a local monitoring group, while more than 3,100 are behind bars.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also said in a press briefing on Thursday that at least 71 journalists have been arrested by Myanmar authorities since February, according to Sputnik.

“From Myanmar, our colleagues at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) say that 71 journalists have been arrested, with more than half of them still detained since the beginning of February,” Dujarric said.

He said that 24 people had been charged for allegedly spreading fake news.