August 16, 2024
The Myanmar military junta has been found to be committing severe war crimes across the country, according to extensive evidence gathered by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). The United Nations body issued a statement on August 13, detailing these findings.
IIMM Chief Nicholas Koumjian stated that the junta has been targeting civilians, with airstrikes on schools, temples, and hospitals increasing in frequency. Additionally, the report highlights atrocities such as beheadings, displaying mutilated bodies, and sexual violence, including the public display of bodies with severed genitalia.
Despite these atrocities, the junta continues to act with impunity, emboldened by the lack of accountability. Koumjian emphasized that this impunity only encourages further crimes.
The IIMM has documented widespread unlawful arrests, torture, including electrocution and strangulation, and systematic sexual violence, with evidence obtained from over 400 eyewitness testimonies and more than 900 sources, including photos, videos, audio files, documents, maps, satellite images, social media posts, and forensic evidence.
The report also revealed that the junta’s violence has affected people of all ages, including children, and that preparations are being made to prosecute those most responsible under international law.
The IIMM continues to investigate earlier crimes committed by the Myanmar military, including the 2016 and 2017 atrocities against the Rohingya. The report also includes evidence of crimes committed by armed groups opposing the junta, such as extrajudicial killings of suspected informants or collaborators.
The IIMM’s findings and preparations to prosecute key individuals responsible for these crimes are crucial steps toward achieving justice for the victims of these atrocities.
