Pope demands 'prompt release' of Myanmar leaders detained by military

Pope Francis, on February 8, called for political leaders imprisoned by Myanmar’s coup d'etat to be “promptly released”. This was the second interference made by the Argentinian pontiff with regards to Myanmar’s military coup which ceased power on February 1. In a speech directed at the ambassadors of the High Sea, the call was made for “sincere dialogues” between the warring sides which would facilitate the betterment of the country.

Speaking from the Vatican City, the pope said, "In these days, my thoughts turn particularly to the people of Myanmar, to whom I express my affection and closeness," the Pope said on Monday, according to the official translation of his comments. He then moved on to say that the path of democracy undertaken in the past was interrupted by the last week’s coup. Calling for sincere dialogue between the two parties, he expressed his desire for “prompt release” of all arrested Myanmar leader.

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"The path to democracy undertaken in recent years was brusquely interrupted by last week's coup d'etat. This has led to the imprisonment of different political leaders, who I hope will be promptly released as a sign of encouragement for a sincere dialogue aimed at the good of the country," he said.

Coup d'état

As Myanmar’s military has taken steps to undermine country's democratic transition, including the arrest of nation’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and few other civilian officials in Burma, several governments and human rights groups across the globe expressed concern and urged the military to immediately release all those who have been detained unlawfully. The Myanmar Army, on the other hand, has said that it carried out the detentions in response to fraud in last November’s general election that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide. According to Myanmar’s local media outlet, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is now in control of the country and a state of emergency has been imposed for one year. 

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Marking the first foreign arrest, an Australian economic advisor to Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi told BCC that he has been detained in the country following the military coup d'état. Sean Turnell, a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, is the first foreign national to be detained by Myanmar’s military junta as per the media reports.