War crimes in Myanmar have increased dramatically. The crimes committed by the junta include sexual violence against women and the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. These facts have emerged in a UN investigation.
Anarchy has prevailed in Myanmar since the army seized power in 2021. The junta government has continued its bloody crackdown on the opposition despite a series of international sanctions. However, the democrats are continuing to fight against them in different directions.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has been investigating war crimes committed by the junta in the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. A report was released on Tuesday (August 8) investigating alleged war crimes committed in Myanmar between July 2022 and June 2023.
In the annual report, UN investigators rejected claims by Myanmar’s military junta that they were only targeting armed opposition groups. According to the report, “Myanmar’s army and its affiliated militia groups are committing three types of war crimes. Strong evidence has been found in this regard.
According to reports, village after village was burned down, civilian homes were deliberately bombed, and civilians and captured fighters were massacred. However, the junta government has not been able to bring anyone to justice for these crimes.
A BBC journalist from Geneva said the government’s failure to bring those responsible to justice showed that Myanmar’s highest authorities wanted to continue committing war crimes. In this background, evidence collection against the accused persons is going on and files are being prepared for the case before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, the investigators said.
The investigation report also mentions the killing of civilians or fighters caught during military operations. “Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar,” said IIMM head Nicholas Koumjian. Massive and systematic attacks on civilians.
Nicholas Koumjian added, “We are creating a case file on them, which can be used in court to hold the perpetrators accountable.” The Myanmar junta has yet to comment on the UN investigation report. However, they have always denied the allegations of such brutality in the past.
The UN Human Rights Council set up the Independent Commission of Inquiry (IIMM) in 2018 to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity for use in possible prosecutions of the Myanmar government.
Although established in 2018, IIMM investigators have never received permission from the government to visit Myanmar. Investigators said they still collected statements from 700 sources and more than 2.3 million pieces of evidence including witness statements, documents, photographs, videos, forensic evidence and satellite images.
In particular, the investigators are looking for all the ‘connections’ that prove the responsibility of high-level government officials in these crimes. The IIMM report explained that military commanders have special responsibilities under international law to prevent war crimes and punish those under their command.
“Repeatedly ignoring such crimes suggests [Myanmar’s] senior authorities are willing to perpetuate these crimes,” the report noted, adding that there is evidence of the use of child soldiers by various armed groups and “many prison inmates are tortured, sexually abused.” There was evidence of violence and other forms of serious abuse.’
Ethnic genocide against minorities especially Muslims has been going on in Myanmar for the last few decades. Following this, in 2017, in the face of the army’s bloody campaign, about 1 million Rohingya were displaced and took refuge in Bangladesh. IIMM says it is also investigating widespread sexual violence against Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority during a bloody campaign.
