Last month, Myanmar’s military leaders seized power from elected officials, shortly after an election they viewed unfavorably. In recent weeks, protests against the coup have expanded nationwide, and the police crackdown on demonstrations has escalated. The United Nations estimates that more than 75 people have been killed so far, as security forces fire tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition at demonstrators. Despite the violence, protests and acts of civil disobedience continue, as many groups unite to call for democracy and an end to decades of military influence and control over their country. The following images from Myanmar were taken over the past week.
Protests Continue in Myanmar, Despite Crackdown
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![Dozens of people stand in rows in a street, all helmeted, some holding shields that have the word "people" painted on them.]()
Read moreAnti-coup protesters gather with makeshift shields, helmets, and face masks during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on March 13, 2021. #
AP -
-
![Several police officers arrest several protesters in a city street.]()
Read morePeople are arrested by security forces alongside dismantled and burning barricades that were set up by protesters demonstrating against the military coup, in Yangon on March 12, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![More than a dozen people are seen gathered together, shouting and holding up fists.]()
Read morePeople gather to protest against the military coup and the detention of elected government members in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 13, 2021. #
Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![People run toward the camera, away from a cloud of gas, in a city street.]()
Read moreAnti-coup protesters ran away when police security forces tried to disperse them with tear gas in Mandalay on March 13, 2021. #
AP -
-
![A person stands beside two bodies that are covered by blankets, on a tile floor.]()
Read moreThe bodies of two people who were killed in clashes lie covered in Mandalay on March 13, 2021. #
Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A woman holds up three fingers in a salute, surrounded by supporters.]()
Read moreThe sister of Chit Min Thu, a protester who died during a demonstration against the military coup on March 11, cries as she makes the three-finger salute during her brother's funeral in Yangon on March 13, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![People raise their hands in a salute as they ride on overcrowded vans in a city street.]()
Read moreMourners make the three-finger salute as they attend the funeral for Ye Swe Oo, who was shot and killed on March 13 during a crackdown by security forces on protesters demonstrating against the military coup, in Mandalay on March 14, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
-
![A city street is filled with people who are seated, holding candles and raising their fists.]()
Read moreProtesters gesture during a candlelight vigil to honor those who have died during demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon on March 13, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![Portrait of a person wearing a helmet and a face mask with the stylized image of Guy Fawkes on it.]()
Read moreA protester wears protective gear during a candlelight vigil in Yangon on March 13, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![Dark smoke rises in the distance, seen among buildings on the other side of a river.]()
Read moreSmoke rises as protests against the military coup continue in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon, on March 14, 2021. #
Anadolu Agency / Getty -
-
![A large group of police officers stand together in a street, near transport trucks and barricades, with dark smoke in the background.]()
Read moreSecurity forces stand guard during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon's Hlaing Thar Yar Township on March 14, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![Several people carry a wounded man in a city street.]()
Read moreA resident, who was shot during a crackdown by security forces against an anti-coup demonstration, is carried to safety by protesters in Yangon's Hlaing Thar Yar Township on March 14, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![Several people run alongside a tricycle, carrying an injured person.]()
Read morePeople transport a person who was shot during a security-force crackdown in Thingangyun, Yangon, on March 14, 2021. #
Reuters -
-
![A person holds up two spent bullet casings.]()
Read moreA protester shows spent bullet casings after a crackdown by security forces in Hlaing Thar Yar Township on March 14, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
![People march in a street carrying signs depicting a long gun being broken in half, and saying "We don't accept military coup."]()
Read moreAnti-coup protesters display signs during a march in Mandalay on March 15, 2021. #
AP -
![People run in a street, away from white clouds of tear gas.]()
Read moreProtesters run from tear gas fired by security forces, as some demonstrators also let off fire extinguishers, next to a barricade set up during a demonstration in Mandalay on March 15, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
-
![Protesters ride together on motorcycles on a rural road.]()
Read moreProtesters fly the flags of the National League for Democracy as they ride motorcycles in the Dawei district, Myanmar, on March 16, 2021. #
Dawei Watch / via Reuters -
![Several people stand together outside a shop, looking at a mobile phone.]()
Read morePeople use their mobile phones to check their connection and Facebook apps outside an internet cafe in Naypyidaw on March 16, 2021, after Myanmar authorities ordered telecommunication companies to restrict their services on the mobile-data networks, following the February 1 military coup. #
AFP / Getty -
![Several dozen people stand together in a room, surrounding an open casket with a covered body inside. Most of the people have their hands held up in a three-fingered salute.]()
Read morePeople give a three-fingered salute during the funeral of Khant Nyar Hein in Yangon on March 16, 2021. Khant Ngar Hein, an 18-year-old medicine student, was shot in the chest on Sunday, March 14, in Tamwe, Yangon, by security forces during an anti-coup protest. #
AP -
-
![A woman leans back and cries, surrounded and held by several other mourners.]()
Read moreThe mother of Khant Nyar Hein reacts during his funeral in Yangon on March 16, 2021, after the first-year medical student was shot dead during a crackdown by security forces against protesters. #
AFP / Getty -
![Protesters run from a barricade in a street, as police advance in the distance.]()
Read moreArmed riot-police officers charge after firing tear gas and rubber bullets as anti-coup protesters abandon their makeshift barricades and run in Yangon, on March 16, 2021. #
AP -
![Several people carry and push carts full of sandbags on a city sidewalk.]()
Read moreProtesters transport sandbags to build barricades against advancing military-junta forces on March 16, 2021, in Yangon. #
Getty -
-
![A city street is filled with debris and protesters.]()
Read moreSmoke rises from burning tires at barricades erected by protesters after the military-junta forces attempted to breach them on March 16, 2021 in Yangon. #
Getty -
![Protesters toss a burning Molotov cocktail.]()
Read moreProtesters toss a Molotov cocktail on March 16, 2021, in Yangon. #
Getty -
![Several protesters walk on a city street under a dark cloud of smoke.]()
Read moreA protester walks amid smoke from burning tires, past a makeshift barricade, during a crackdown by security forces on demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon on March 16, 2021. #
AFP / Getty -
-
![People stand in a street and watch as several others pull back on a long elastic cord, testing a slingshot.]()
Read moreProtesters test a large slingshot weapon in Yangon on March 17, 2021, as security forces continued a crackdown on demonstrations against the military coup. #
AFP / Getty -
![Protesters take cover behind a makeshift barricade on a road as armed security forces approach.]()
Read moreAnti-coup protesters take cover behind a makeshift barricade on a road as armed security forces approach in Yangon on March 17, 2021. #
AP -
![Dozens of people ride motorcycles together, many holding up signs that read "Women choose to challenge military dictatorship."]()
Read moreWomen hold signs in a motorcycle procession, protesting against the ongoing coup, traveling from Nyinmaw to Tizit, Myanmar, on March 17, 2021. #
Dawei Watch via Reuters -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.