Burma forces continue crackdown on protesters, 4 dead in demonstrations

The case for crimes against humanity by the military continues to grow as the dispute over elected leadership continues.

The independent United Nations human rights expert for Burma, Tom Andrews, said Thursday that "credible reports" indicated security forces in the Southeast Asian nation had so far killed at least 70 people, and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Reports on social media also said three people were shot dead Friday night in Yangon, Burma's largest city, where residents for the past week have been defying an 8 p.m. curfew to come out on the streets. Two deaths by gunfire were reported in Yangon’s Thaketa township, where a protest being held outside a police station was dispersed. A crowd had gathered there to demand the release of three young men who were seized from their home earlier Friday night. Photos said to be of the bodies of two dead protesters were posted online. The other reported fatality Friday night was of a 19-year-old man shot in Hlaing township.