More than 1,000 killed in Myanmar since February 1 coup

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) records killings by the country’s military.

Demonstrators carry flags and display the three-finger salute during a protest against Myanmar's army commander Min Aung Hlaing [File: Reuters]

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Myanmar since the February 1 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a human rights group that records killings by the country’s security forces.

As of August 18, the association said 1,006 people had been killed since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi triggering nationwide protests and a mass civil disobedience movement.

A spokesman for the Myanmar military did not respond to a call from Reuters news agency requesting comment.

The military authorities have previously said the AAPP figures, widely cited by international organisations, are exaggerated.

The army has also said dozens of members of the security forces have been killed. The AAPP does not include them in its count.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup with protests continuing daily, skirmishes in border regions and widespread strikes that have severely damaged the economy. The country is also battling a major surge in coronavirus cases.

The army overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi, claiming there was fraud in the November election that her National League for Democracy won in a landslide. The electoral commission and international monitors said the polls were free and fair and there was no evidence to support the claim.

The army is already being investigated for genocide over its brutal crackdown on the minority Rohingya in 2017 that forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee into Bangladesh.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies