U.N. rights forum to hold special session on Myanmar crisis - official

FILE PHOTO: Police stand guard by their vehicles as protesters rally against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, February 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday to discuss the crisis in Myanmar after its elected civilian government was taken over by the military, the United Nations said in a statement on Monday.

Britain and the European Union requested the meeting earlier on Monday, backed by 19 members of the 47-member forum, mainly Western countries joined by Japan and South Korea, it said.