House Democracy Partnership Marks One Year Since Coup in Burma

WASHINGTON, DC (February 1, 2022) – Today, Chairman David Price and Co-Chair Vern Buchanan of the bipartisan House Democracy Partnership (HDP) released a statement on the one-year anniversary of the military coup in Burma:

"Today marks one year since the Tatmadaw overthrew Burma's democratically elected government - just hours before its new parliament was to meet - in a violent coup. Since this illegal power grab took place, the junta has engaged in human rights abuses, violently suppressed its own people, and murdered men, women, and children by the hundreds.

"We call on the Tatmadaw to immediately release all those arrested for peacefully demonstrating for freedom and implement transparent judicial practices, including the provision of due process and open and fair trials.

"We also demand that the Tatmadaw immediately allow unimpeded access to provide humanitarian assistance to those communities impacted by violence and COVID-19. Additionally, we request that Burma's neighbors, such as Thailand, allow entry across its borders to Burmese refugees fleeing the brutal oppression and violence."

"The Burmese people have clearly demonstrated their desire for the military dictatorship to end. This brazen coup has decimated the country's standing and the aspirations of countless lives – it is time for the Tatmadaw to step aside immediately and restore Burma's duly-elected legislature and government."