On the political situation in Myanmar including the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya

B100521/2025

European Parliament resolution on the political situation in Myanmar including the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya

(2025/2986(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Myanmar,

–having regard to the resolutions of the UN General Assembly on Myanmar,

–having regard to the joint statement of 6 January 2025 by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the Governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Timor-Leste and the United Kingdom addressing the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar,

–having regard to the statement of 31 January 2025 by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the fourth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar,

–having regard to Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/820 of 25 April 2025 amending Decision 2013/184/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma,

–having regard to the statement of 16 May 2025 by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma,

–having regard to the visit of Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) to Bangladesh from 16 to 18 September 2025,

–having regard to the joint statement of 17 October 2025 by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Parliamentarians for Human Rights and of the European Parliament calling for stronger EU action to reject Myanmar junta’s elections and prioritise humanitarian protection,

–having regard to the report of 20 October 2025 of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar,

–having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 1 February 2021, the military of Myanmar, known as the Tatmadaw, in a clear violation of Myanmar’s Constitution, arrested President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power over the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government through a coup d’état; whereas in August 2021, the commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing, declared himself Prime Minister and extended the state of emergency far beyond the deadlines initially announced;

B.whereas in response to the coup, protests and demonstrations broke out in various cities across Myanmar; whereas since 1 February 2021, politicians, government officials, civil society representatives, religious actors, peaceful protestors and journalists have been unlawfully arrested or put under house arrest; whereas the latest report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar states that, since the coup, nearly 30 000 people have been arrested and more than 22 000 political prisoners remain behind bars as of October 2025; whereas at least 1 853 people have died in detention since the coup and more than 70 additional individuals died while being detained between January and July 2025;

C.whereas the junta has dramatically escalated its indiscriminate aerial bombardments, artillery strikes and arson attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, medical clinics, monasteries, displacement camps and houses, destroying more than 100 000 civilian homes and killing at least 7 300 civilians since the coup;

D.whereas approximately 3.6 million people have been displaced as a result of the armed conflict and human rights violations in Myanmar, including more than 320 000 Christians and many Muslim Rohingya; whereas at the beginning of 2025, the UN estimated that 19.9 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, a figure that increased to 21.9 million following the earthquake in March 2025;

E.whereas the situation has deteriorated further following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake of 28 March 2025, after which junta forces blocked humanitarian access, threatened and extorted relief workers, confiscated medical supplies and continued airstrikes despite declaring a ‘humanitarian ceasefire’, making 2025 the deadliest year of airstrikes since the coup;

F.whereas an estimated 600 000 Rohingya remain trapped in Rakhine State, subjected to persistent discriminatory policies and practices, apartheid-like segregation, arbitrary arrest, severe restrictions on movement, forced labour, extortion and deliberate deprivation of food and medical care, amounting to systematic violations of their fundamental rights;

G.whereas violence in Rakhine State has intensified dramatically since 2024, with the junta, the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups all implicated in grave human rights violations, including mass killings, forced recruitment of Rohingya men and boys, beheadings, arson of Rohingya and Rakhine villages, drone strikes on civilians, and attacks on displacement sites; whereas between 2024 and November 2025, approximately 150 000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh due to the escalating violence;

H.whereas Bangladesh continues to host nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char island in severely underfunded, overcrowded and unsafe camps; whereas humanitarian assistance has reached crisis levels following the dramatic collapse of global funding;

I.whereas the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has sought arrest warrants, including against commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, for crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya;

J.whereas credible UN, human rights and investigative bodies, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur, have documented widespread and systematic attacks against the people of Myanmar, amounting in many instances to crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law, and have underlined the need for accountability;

K.whereas Myanmar’s military authorities continue to restrict internet access, impose nationwide and localised shutdowns, criminalise online expression through the 2025 Cybersecurity Law, ban virtual private networks, censor digital platforms and arrest those expressing dissent online, severely undermining freedom of expression and access to information;

L.whereas on 29 July 2025, the junta enacted the Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections from Obstruction, Disruption and Destruction, which criminalises criticism of the electoral process by banning any speeches, organised gatherings, or peaceful protests seen as ‘disrupting’ the electoral process; whereas violations of this law carry up to 20 years in prison and even the death penalty;

M.whereas since August 2025, junta authorities have arrested at least 94 individuals, including four children, under this law for their online activity and acts including distributing stickers or leaflets and delivering speeches, among other alleged acts of ‘interference’; whereas on 9 September 2025, an individual was sentenced to seven years of hard labour in Taunggyi, Shan State, for making a Facebook post criticising the junta; whereas on 29 October 2025, filmmakers Zambu Htun Thet Lwin and Aung Chan Lu were arrested for merely ‘liking’ a Facebook post critical of an election propaganda video;

N.whereas the military junta is attempting to fabricate legitimacy through fraudulent multiphase elections scheduled for 28 December 2025 and 11 January 2026; whereas these sham elections are being organised in an environment of systematic repression, including the mass arrest of opposition leaders, the dissolution of political parties such as the National League for Democracy, the criminalisation of dissent, pervasive surveillance, severe restrictions on movement, and the imprisonment of journalists, pro-democracy activists and human rights defenders;

O.whereas UN officials and several Member States have already warned that such elections cannot be recognised as legitimate;

1.Strongly condemns the coup d’état of 1 February 2021 executed by the Tatmadaw under the leadership of commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing; calls on the Tatmadaw to fully respect the outcome of the democratic elections of November 2020 and to immediately reinstate the civilian government, end the state of emergency, cease the use of violence against peaceful protesters, respect the right to freedom of expression and association, and allow all elected parliamentarians to assume their mandates without restriction;

2.Rejects as illegitimate any elections organised unilaterally by the junta, in particular the multiphase general election scheduled for December 2025 and January 2026; stresses that no credible electoral process can take place under conditions of repression, mass displacement, continued arbitrary detention or in the absence of inclusive political dialogue;

3.Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and all others who have been arrested on unfounded accusations; reiterates that releasing political leaders and prisoners is the first essential step towards a peaceful solution to the crisis and the restoration of the legitimate authorities;

4.Supports the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the National Unity Government (NUG) as the only legitimate representatives of the democratic wishes of the people of Myanmar; calls on ASEAN and the international community to include and involve them in genuine and inclusive political dialogue and efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the crisis based on respect for the rule of law;

5.Reaffirms the multi-ethnic nature of Myanmar and urges the Tatmadaw to fully respect each ethnicity’s inalienable rights; calls for an immediate, rigorous, independent and transparent investigation into the crimes committed in the country by the military and for their perpetrators to be brought to justice;

6.Strongly condemns the persecution of Christians, Muslims and other religious groups in the country; urges the Tatmadaw to end the killings and arrests of Christians, as well as the shelling and raiding of churches; highlights the growing concern of the international community over the violent targeting of Christian communities in Myanmar; calls for respect for religious freedom in Myanmar;

7.Reiterates its condemnation of the ongoing persecution and mass displacement of and systematic attacks against the Muslim Rohingya population; underlines that the EU continues to closely monitor the actions of the military leadership towards minorities in the country, including the Rohingya;

8.Deplores the appalling living conditions endured by the Rohingya community in the camps in Cox’s Bazar; urges the international community to support the Bangladeshi authorities in ensuring adequate shelter, sanitation facilities, healthcare and security for refugees; calls on Myanmar’s military authorities to work towards sustainable improvements in ensuring the dignified and safe return of the Rohingya population; calls for the EU to assume a leading role in mobilising international support for the Rohingya people and in ensuring accountability for those responsible for their persecution, in particular the Myanmar military;

9.Urges the EU Member States and associated countries to maintain the embargo on the direct and indirect supply, sale and transfer, including transit, shipment and brokering, of all weapons, munitions and other military, security and surveillance equipment and systems, as well as the provision of training, maintenance and other military and security assistance; highlights the need for the International Criminal Court to further investigate the situation;

10.Reiterates the need to expand targeted sanctions against junta leaders, state-owned enterprises, military-controlled conglomerates and aviation fuel suppliers; emphasises the need for a comprehensive global arms embargo and a ban on aviation fuel to halt airstrikes on civilians;

11.Calls for increased humanitarian aid to be provided to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, internally displaced people in Myanmar and refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border;

12.Underlines the necessity of reinforced EU-ASEAN cooperation to build a unified response that prioritises human rights and justice in Myanmar; urges ASEAN, its member states and, in particular, its Special Envoy on Myanmar to use their mandates proactively by cooperating closely with the UN Special Envoy and engaging all relevant stakeholders, including the NUG, ethnic organisations, women’s groups and civil society representatives, in order to advance an inclusive political process and contribute to a sustainable resolution to the crisis;

13.Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to regularly report to Parliament on the developments in Myanmar, including the situation of religious and ethnic groups;

14.Expresses its unwavering solidarity with the people of Myanmar and with their legitimate democratic representatives, including the NUG, ethnic revolutionary organisations and civil society representatives, in their struggle for freedom, dignity and democracy;

15.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the legitimate President and National Unity Government of Myanmar, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the State Counsellor of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, the governments and parliaments of the United States, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Australia, Canada, the member states of ASEAN, and the People’s Republic of China, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.