Voters in Myanmar have voted in the first phase of the country’s general election.

Protesters in Myanmar are marking two months since the military seized power by again defying the threat of lethal violence and demonstrating against its toppling of the country's democratically elected government.

Arrested protesters wave to people while onboard a bus that is getting out of Insein prison and will transport them to an undisclosed location Wednesday, March 24, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)YANGON – Hundreds of people imprisoned for demonstrating against last month’s coup in Myanmar were released Wednesday, a rare conciliatory gesture by the military that appeared aimed at placating the protest movement. Also Wednesday, Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering an anti-coup protest, was released. The mass release came the same day that Thein Zaw was also freed. “There must be accountability for all the crimes and human rights violations that continue to be perpetrated in Myanmar," he said.

NOT THE FIRST RESTRICTIONSAfter the Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, the military declared a nationwide state of emergency and gave itself broad powers. It also put in place similar but milder restrictions to martial law in dozens of townships across the country. MARTIAL LAW TRUMPS ALL ELSEMartial law basically supersedes all other law, allowing the military total authority over the specified area, including administrative, judicial and law enforcement functions. AdThe imposition of martial law in six townships in Yangon in legal terms legitimizes actions that the military had already been taking to suppress the protests. Eleven Media appeared to be basing its report on times martial law was declared in 1989 and 1974.

It announced that the licenses of five local media outlets — Mizzima, DVB, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News — have been canceled. We call on those security forces to withdraw and allow people to go home safely,” said the U.S. Embassy's statement. On Monday night, security forces chased crowds, harassed residents watching from windows, and fired stun grenades. AdGuterres also called the occupation of a number of public hospitals in Myanmar by security forces “completely unacceptable,” the U.N. spokesman said. Security forces shot and killed two people in northern Myanmar during the day, local media reported.

Protesters shout slogans as police arrive during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. The Democratic Voice of Burma reported that as of 5 p.m. in Myanmar, there had been 19 confirmed deaths in nine cities, with another 10 deaths unconfirmed. DVB counted five deaths in Yangon and two in Mandalay, the largest and second-largest cities. AdIn Dawei, local media reported at least three people were killed during a protest march, supported by photos and video. Ad“The world is watching the actions of the Myanmar military junta, and will hold them accountable,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Protesters are sprayed with water fired from a police truck's water cannon in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. They say they were issued in response to people carrying out unlawful actions that harm the rule of law, a reference to the protests. AdState media for the first time on Monday made reference to the protests, claiming they were endangering the country’s stability. AdThe growing protests recall previous movements in the Southeast Asian country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy. Aside from a few officers, soldiers have not been in the streets at protests this past week.

Clearance operation is Myanmar military parlance for counterinsurgency action. An estimated 740,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh, where they remain in refugee camps. We have to flee the village as we dont want to face the soldiers from the military. Its like doomsday for them, lawmaker Khin Maung Lat said, explaining why villagers fled. This is the impact of the evacuation order to stay away from the village during the military operation.Even most of the village administrators are fleeing from the villages, he said.