Myanmar lawyers stage anti-coup rally in Mandalay

Lawyers on Saturday took to the streets of Mandalay again to demonstrate against the military coup in Myanmar. Daily rallies in Mandalay and Yangon, the country's biggest city, entered their second week on Saturday, despite a ban on public gatherings of five people or more.

The 1 February coup, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and prevented recently elected lawmakers from opening a new session of parliament. It reversed nearly a decade of progress toward democracy following 50 years of military rule and led to widespread protests. The military says it was forced to step in because Suu Kyi’s government failed to properly investigate allegations of fraud in November elections. The election commission has said there is no evidence to support those claims.

The United Nation's top human rights body passed a consensus resolution on Friday urging the military leaders to immediately release Suu Kyi and other civilian government leaders detained after the coup. The Human Rights Council has no power to impose sanctions but can train a political spotlight on rights abuses and violations.