We stand with JRS Asia Pacific and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) in urging the international community to take decisive action in support of the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy, human rights, and lasting peace. Below is an excerpt highlighting the key points of the statement.  

Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific and the APRRN raise serious concerns over illegitimate elections held in Myanmar amid mass displacement and widespread human rights violations, as the country enters its fifth year of a deepening forgotten crisis.

Five years after the February 2021 military takeover, Myanmar remains under entrenched repression, with civilian harm continuing to escalate. The military has concluded an election process that lacks legitimacy, carried out amid active conflict, widespread insecurity, and the absence of conditions for the free expression of the Myanmar people’s political will. At the same time, the military has intensified coercive measures, including repeated rounds of forced conscription of young people.

These actions have gone hand in hand with increased airstrikes, rising civilian casualties, and mass displacement. The collapse of civilian protection mechanisms, combined with severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, economic breakdown, and worsening food insecurity, is driving an expanding humanitarian crisis. As protection and essential services are dismantled, millions are being pushed into life-threatening conditions, with no means of safety or relief.

Read the full statement.