Women and children are particularly targeted.
There is a growing body of evidence that crimes against humanity have been committed in Burma since last year’s coup, UN investigators said on Tuesday (August 9th).
In its annual report, the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Burma emphasizes that women and children are particularly targeted. “There is ample evidence that since the military took power in February 2021, crimes have been committed in Burma on a scale and in a manner that constitutes a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population.“, says this organization in a press release.
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Murders, tortures, deportations, rapes, persecutions… the report establishes a long list of crimes against humanity which would have been committed. The regions affected are more and more numerous, he also indicates. Created by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018, this investigative mechanism aims to collect evidence on the most serious crimes in view of possible criminal proceedings. “Crimes against women and children are among the most serious international crimes, but they are also historically under-reported and under-investigated“said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the investigation mechanism, in a statement. “The perpetrators of these crimes must know that they cannot continue to act with impunity. We collect and preserve evidence so they will one day be held to account“, he underlined.
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According to information available to UN investigators,sexual and gender-based crimes, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as crimes against children were perpetrated by members of the security forces and armed groups“. According to the report, children were tortured, recruited and arbitrarily detained. Other UN officials and experts have previously accused the ruling junta of committing crimes against humanity. In January, Nicholas Koumjian had himself estimated that more than 1000 people could have been killed in circumstances that could be qualified as crimes against humanity or war crimes.
Since the February 1, 2021 coup that overthrew former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the ruling junta has been waging a bloody crackdown on its opponents, with more than 2,100 civilians killed and nearly 15,000 arrested, according to an NGO local. The junta carried out the execution of four prisoners sentenced to death at the end of July, including two figures of the pro-democracy movement, a first for more than 30 years. Other executions could follow, warned the UN, which has counted more than a hundred death sentences since the coup. The UN investigative mechanism on Burma was not authorized by the Burmese authorities to go there. But experts have collected information from more than 200 sources since its inception. These include interviews, documents, videos, photographs and geospatial imagery.
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In its report, the investigative mechanism is also concerned about the fate of the Rohingyas who have not been able to return home. About 850,000 members of this Muslim minority live in makeshift camps in Bangladesh, after fleeing a bloody military crackdown in their Buddhist-majority country in 2017. Some 600,000 others are in Rakhine State, Burma. “The Rohingya constantly express their desire to be able to return in a safe and dignified way to Burma, but this will be very difficult if those responsible for the atrocities committed against them are not held accountable.“said Nicholas Koumjian. On July 22, the International Court of Justice declared itself competent to judge a charge of genocide against Burma, a charge brought by The Gambia on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
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