EU threatens to impose sanctions on Myanmar

Tens of thousands of people joined protests in Myanmar.

Earlier, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that on Saturday Myanmar security forces killed 107 people, including seven children. The statement did not say where the casualty figure came from.

"I am following the alarming developments in Myanmar. The escalation of violence, the loss of more than 100 civilian lives due to the actions of the military against its own people on Armed Forces Day, is unacceptable. It has become far from a day of celebration, but a day of horror and shame," Borrell said.

The EU's foreign affairs chief condemned the "brutal violence" and called on "the Myanmar military leadership to step back from this senseless path".

“We will continue to use EU mechanisms, including sanctions, to take action against the perpetrators of violence and those who are turning back the clock on Myanmar’s path to democracy and peace. The perpetrators of these serious human rights violations will be held accountable for their blatant actions,” Borrell stressed.

According to the Myanmar Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which updates daily statistics on casualties of protesters caused by Myanmar police and military, the total number of people killed from February 5 to March 28 was 459, more than 2.5 thousand people were arrested.