Supporting resistance to militarism and authoritarianism in Burma/Myanmar

On Feb 1, 2021 Myanmar's military staged a coup and declared a one-year state of emergency following a general election in which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide. Since then, the military has been carrying out arbitrary detentions of pro-democracy activists, disrupting internet and phone communication, and engaging in attacks on journalists. Over the past four months, the military has killed more than 800 people, including over 40 children, and detained over 3,000 people. In response, people across Myanmar have united together under the umbrella of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), one of the most diverse, defiant, and creative people’s movements in the country’s history.

During this session, we speak to prominent activists from Myanmar who will discuss the historical background which led to the current crisis and what the current moment means for the future of the people of Myanmar. We will also explore how advancing the rights of marginalized ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar is integral to the current struggle and future possibilities of hope. We invite funders to strategize together to support the leadership of human rights defenders, LGBTQI activists, labor rights leaders, and ethnic minorities who are the frontlines of the movements leading up to and during the coup.