UN chief tells Myanmar military: ‘Stop the repression’

Guterres demands Myanmar military free prisoners and end violence, as he opens a four-week summit on human rights.

The UN’s top human rights body has opened its first and highest-level meeting of 2021, amid growing concerns on issues including the military coup in Myanmar, the arrest of opposition leader Alexey Navalny in Russia and the rights situations in countries including Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. The four-week session of the Human Rights Council, which started Monday, has drawn several presidents and prime ministers for its “high-level segment”, with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro set to speak. The United States is set to renew its council participation after a two-and-a-half-year walkout during the term of former President Donald Trump.