Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention is a podcast by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. The podcast, hosted by Global Centre Publications Director Jaclyn Streitfeld-Hall, features one-on-one conversations with practitioners from the field of human rights, conflict prevention, atrocity prevention and other related agendas. These conversations aim to provide a glimpse of the personal and professional side of how practitioners approach human rights protection and atrocity prevention. We hope to explore challenges, identify best practices and share lessons learned on how we can protect populations more effectively. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube. Please subscribe for new episodes.

On 1 February Myanmar’s military, headed by Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew the civilian-led government. The coup was launched in response to the decisive victory of the National League for Democracy in the November 2020 elections, where military-backed candidates were comprehensively defeated. The situation in the country remains extremely volatile, with troops deployed in all major cities and a deadly crackdown on peaceful civilian protests.

The same generals leading the coup are responsible for the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya population in Rakhine state, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity against populations in Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states.

Through the eyes of two minority activists from Myanmar, Myra Dahgaypaw and Wai Wai Nu, we discuss how the military has committed atrocities in the past, if the coup poses an increased risk to minorities now, and what the international community can and should do to protect populations in Myanmar.