GENEVA: At least 170 civilians were killed in more than 400 military air strikes in Myanmar in the weeks surrounding its widely-criticised elections, the United Nations said Friday.&nbsp;Myanmar&#39;s month-long, three-phase vote, which wrapped up on Sunday, was imposed by the military in what democracy watchdogs dismissed as an attempt to rebrand army rule.&nbsp;The UN rights office, which has been harshly critical of the elections, warned Friday that they had failed to respect fundamental human rights and that military attacks on the population had continued unabated.&nbsp;&quot;These elections did not prevent violence from continuing throughout 2025,&quot; James Rodehaver, head of the rights office&#39;s Myanmar team, told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;Speaking from Bangkok, he highlighted that 2025 was &quot;the year in which more civilians died from airstrikes than any other since 2021&quot;, and that &quot;air strikes continued even through election days&quot;.&nbsp;The UN said &quot;credible sources&quot; had verified that at least &quot;170 civilians were killed in some 408 military aerial attacks reported by open sources during the voting period&quot;, the nearly two months from early December.&nbsp;Rodehaver warned, though that the numbers could rise, pointing out that their verification was complicated since communications are cut off and due to &quot;the fear of individuals in some of these locations to speak to us&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&#39;Forcing people to the ballot box&#39; The UN rights office pointed to initial reports of a military air strike &quot;on a populated area with no reported presence of combatants&quot; that killed up to 50 civilians in Bhamo Township, in Kachin State, on January 22.&nbsp;To curb any dissent, the military had also arrested 324 men and 80 women under its unilaterally-adopted election protection law, including for minor online activity, the office said, decrying the &quot;grossly disproportionate penalties&quot; doled out.&nbsp;In one case, it said a 49-year sentence was handed down for posting anti-election materials.&nbsp;Five years after the coup that swept Myanmar&#39;s junta to power, UN rights chief Volker Turk warned that &quot;the profound and widespread despair inflicted on the people of Myanmar has only deepened with the recent election staged by the military&quot;.&nbsp;He pointed out that &quot;many people chose either to vote or not to vote purely out of fear, flatly at odds with their internationally guaranteed civil and political rights -- and with ripple effects on their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;The conflict and insecurity continued unabated in large parts of the country. Opposition candidates and some ethnic groups were excluded,&quot; he said.&nbsp;His office pointed out that the elections were held in only 263 of 330 townships, often exclusively in urban centres under military control, and limited in conflict areas.&nbsp;&quot;As a result, large segments of the population, especially the displaced and minorities, such as the ethnic Rohingya, were excluded,&quot; it pointed out.&nbsp;Voter coercion was also reported nationwide.&nbsp;In one incident on January 6, more than 100 villagers in the Sagaing region were arbitrarily detained and compelled to cast advance ballots, the rights office said.&nbsp;Turk decried that five years of military rule in Myanmar had been &quot;characterised by repression of political dissent, mass arbitrary arrests, arbitrary conscription, widespread surveillance and limitation of civic space&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;Now, the military is seeking to entrench its rule by violence after forcing people to the ballot box,&quot; he said.

Asia

The UN said Myanmar’s military elections caused at least 170 civilian deaths in over 400 airstrikes, with arrests, forced voting, and exclusion of minorities, while violence and fear continued, violating people’s rights.

At least 170 civilians killed in Myanmar air strikes during election: UN

KAMPALA: At least 10 people died in violence-marred elections in Uganda, the opposition said Friday, as veteran leader Yoweri Museveni looked set to prolong his four-decade rule in a ballot that saw widespread repression and an internet blackout.&nbsp;Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said he was under house arrest after Thursday&#39;s vote while Uganda&#39;s Electoral Commission said Museveni was on 75.4 percent to Wine&#39;s 20.7 with close to 60 percent of votes counted.&nbsp;Final results are due around 1300 GMT.&nbsp;Authorities imposed an internet blackout during the election that was still in place on Friday.&nbsp;Wine, 43, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has emerged as the main challenger to Museveni in recent years. The former singer styles himself the &quot;ghetto president&quot; after the slum areas of Kampala where he grew up.&nbsp;&quot;After casting my ballot, the military deployed all around my home in order to place me under house arrest,&quot; Wine wrote on X.&nbsp;&quot;They do this because they are afraid of the people&#39;s reaction after stealing their vote.&quot;&nbsp;AFP journalists visited the compound early Friday and said it was outwardly calm, though a military vehicle and several police officers were stationed outside.&nbsp;Local station NBS quoted a police spokesman saying Wine was &quot;not under house arrest, we&#39;re just providing him with security.&quot;&nbsp;Muwanga Kivumbi, member of parliament for Wine&#39;s party in the Butambala area of central Uganda, told AFP&#39;s Nairobi office by phone that security forces had killed 10 of his campaign agents after storming his home.&nbsp;His wife Zahara Nampewo, a law professor, said the 10 were hiding in their garage when security forces fired through the door.&nbsp;&quot;After killing them, the military continued firing,&quot; Kivumbi said. &quot;And they ensured that they removed all the evidence of the dead. You only have a pool of blood that is left here.&quot;&nbsp;Local police spokeswoman Lydia Tumushabe gave a different account, saying &quot;a group of NUP goons&quot; had planned to overrun and burn down a local tally centre and police station.&nbsp;&quot;An unspecified number were put out of action,&quot; she told AFP, adding that 25 others had been arrested and charged with malicious damage of property.&nbsp;Total controlAnalysts have long viewed the election as a formality.&nbsp;Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter who seized power in 1986, has total control over the state and security apparatus, and has ruthlessly crushed any challenger during his rule.&nbsp;Election day was marred by significant technical problems after biometric machines -- used to confirm voters&#39; identities -- malfunctioned and ballot papers were undelivered for several hours in many areas.&nbsp;There was a heavy security presence across the country.&nbsp;The United Nations rights office said last week that the elections were taking place in an environment marked by &quot;widespread repression and intimidation&quot; against the opposition.&nbsp;On Thursday, Wine accused the government of &quot;massive ballot stuffing&quot; and attacking several of his party officials under cover of the internet blackout, which was imposed on Tuesday.

Africa

Uganda’s opposition says at least 10 people were killed during elections marked by repression and an internet blackout, as President Yoweri Museveni looked set to extend his decades-long rule while challenger Bobi Wine reported house arrest and alleged vote rigging.

Ten killed in Ugandan elections, Museveni set to extend 40-year rule

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TBILISI: Georgia&rsquo;s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tens of thousands marched in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on polling day against the government&rsquo;s repressive policies, and what they see as Georgia&rsquo;s steady drift into Moscow&rsquo;s orbit. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobakhidze&rsquo;s Georgian Dream party late on Saturday claimed victory in every municipality across the South Caucasus country in local elections boycotted by the two main opposition blocs as a sham. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protests and political unrest have rocked Georgia since the Georgian Dream halted talks on joining the European Union last November, despite the goal being a cherished aspiration for many Georgians that has been enshrined in the country&rsquo;s constitution.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This move triggered waves of protests that have been met with mass arrests and police violence. It came after the longtime ruling party declared victory in a parliamentary election, the opposition said was rigged. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rallies, big and small, have continued despite a multipronged crackdown by the government through laws that target demonstrators, rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, and independent media. Critics say some have been modeled on legislation passed in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has harshly stifled criticism. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgian Dream accuses &#39;foreign agents&#39;</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riot police used water cannons and tear gas on Saturday to drive protesters out of the presidential palace, after they smashed the gates and attempted to enter the building. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The opposition had painted the latest march as part of a &ldquo;peaceful revolution&rdquo; to restore democratic values, but in a press briefing on Sunday, Kobakhidze cast it as the culmination of months of attempts to overthrow his government. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgian officials have repeatedly sought to present the protests as coordinated and funded from abroad, often citing statements from European officials in support of the movement.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobakhidze referenced this rhetoric on Sunday, as he pledged to &ldquo;completely neutralize foreign agents.&quot;&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also implied that EU officials and diplomats have meddled in Georgian politics by voicing support for the protests. However, he stated that Georgian Dream was prepared for dialogue with Tbilisi&#39;s Western partners. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I am ready to forget everything, to reset relations, to start from a clean slate. &hellip; We are ready for friendship and relations with everyone,&rdquo; he said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an online statement on Sunday, the EU&rsquo;s diplomatic service said the bloc &ldquo;firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation against the EU&rsquo;s role in Georgia.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five activists, including celebrated opera singer Paata Burchuladze, were detained following Saturday&rsquo;s rally. According to Georgia&rsquo;s Interior Ministry, they were accused of calling for the violent overthrow of the government as well as &ldquo;organizing, leading and participating in group violence.&rdquo; The interior ministry also vowed to find all those who tried to force entry into the presidential palace. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EU warns of impact on elections</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgians went to the polls on Saturday to elect the mayors of five major cities, including Tbilisi, the heads of over 50 other municipalities, and members of municipal councils. Georgia&rsquo;s two main opposition blocs and several other parties critical of Georgian Dream boycotted the vote. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The statement released Sunday by the EU&rsquo;s diplomatic service said Georgian Dream&rsquo;s repressive policies had &ldquo;drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections.&rdquo; It was signed by the bloc&rsquo;s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;We call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained. We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period and call on the authorities to uphold citizens&rsquo; rights to freedom of assembly and expression. A constructive and inclusive dialogue involving all political actors and civil society is essential, and we call on every side to refrain from violence,&rdquo; the statement said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than 50 international and local groups were registered to observe the municipal vote. But none of the major international watchdogs that monitored the previous local vote in 2021 &mdash; including delegations from the European Parliament, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and major US nonprofits &mdash; were present this time.

A demonstrator with a Georgian national, EU and other flags walks in front of police line during an opposition rally in the city center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, boycotting the municipal elections and calling for the release of polit

Europe

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals.

Articles tagged with "elections"

At least 170 civilians killed in Myanmar air strikes during election: UN

Ten killed in Ugandan elections, Museveni set to extend 40-year rule

Georgia's PM vows crackdown after local election results spark mass protests