Politics UN report on Myanmar: "Appalling level of brutality"

According to the United Nations, violence by the military junta in Myanmar against its own population has recently increased massively.

"There is clear evidence that brutal war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar military have escalated at an alarming rate across the country," writes the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) in its annual report.

The country's military staged a coup in February 2021 and ousted the then head of government Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the former Burma has descended into chaos and violence, with various rebel groups fighting against the army, sometimes very successfully. Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi (79) is in prison.

Junta used ever greater violence

More than 400 eyewitness statements, photos, videos, audio material, social media posts and forensic evidence were analyzed for the report. The data covers the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, during which time the military's armed conflict with resistance groups across the country put increasing pressure on the generals.

The junta has responded to the resistance with ever greater violence, including airstrikes on schools, religious buildings and hospitals where there was no obvious military target, the report states.

Physical mutilations of people arrested in the course of the armed conflicts were also documented - including beheadings and the public display of disfigured bodies.

Systematic torture in prisons

"We have collected extensive evidence that shows an appalling level of brutality and inhumanity across Myanmar," said IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian. Many crimes were committed with the intention of punishing the civilian population and spreading fear and terror.

Systematic torture of many arbitrarily detained citizens was also documented, including beatings, electric shocks, strangulation and sleep deprivation.

"There is also evidence of gang rape, burning of genitals and other violent sexual and gender-related crimes during detention," writes the IIMM. The victims also included children.

At the same time, there is also credible evidence of crimes committed by armed groups fighting against the military. These included executions of civilians suspected of being military collaborators.

"No one has been held accountable for any crimes, which emboldens the perpetrators and deepens the culture of impunity in the country," Koumjian said. "We are trying to break this cycle." The junta generally does not comment on such accusations.

The IIMM was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018. Its aim is to collect and analyze case files that can contribute to the prosecution of individuals in national or international criminal proceedings.