Myanmar: Several shot dead as protests escalate against military junta | DW News

Demonstrators have returned to the streets of Myanmar - facing down security forces ready to open fire. Several protesters were shot dead by police overnight and on Saturday at rallies against the military and its crackdown on opposition. More than 70 people have died in unrest since the army seized power last month and arrested elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The UN has condemned of the crackdown, which has seen more than two thousand people arrested. Even China, traditionally an ally of Myanmar, is calling for de-escalation of violence and dialogue.

The people of Myanmar are in mourning. Still, an air of defiance prevails - even in the face of mounting funerals. People are determined to keep up the pressure. Thousands rallied in Mandalay, many of them teachers and university students. But moments later, police dispersed the peaceful protest with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Amid the escalation of police brutality - injuries like these are becoming commonplace. Healthcare workers and volunteers race to bring them out of the line of fire.

Witness footage from Friday in Yangon shows police beating three men - accused of breaking a nighttime curfew. They were dragged from their homes and beaten with sticks on the street.

In the distance - the sound of gunfire attests to another episode of violence in the city.

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