The death toll as a result of Myanmar's 1 February coup topped 1 000 on Wednesday, according to an official of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group, which has been recording killings by security forces.
A spokesperson for the ruling junta did not respond to a request for comment. Military authorities previously said the AAPP figures, widely cited by international organisations, are exaggerated.
The army also said scores of members of the security forces were killed. The AAPP does not include them in its count.
"According
to AAPP records, 1 001 innocent people have been killed," AAPP secretary
Tate Naing told Reuters. "The actual number of victims is much
higher."
The Southeast Asian country has sunk into chaos since the coup, with protests continuing daily, insurgencies flaring in border regions and widespread strikes that have severely damaged the economy.
The army overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, alleging irregularities in an election swept by her National League for Democracy party in November 2020. The then-electoral commission and international monitors said the army accusations were wrong.
Military authorities say their seizure of power should not be called a coup because it was in line with the constitution.
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