United Nations appointed independent human rights investigators told the Human Rights Council on Monday that Myanmar’s people continue to suffer deeply from the effects of horrific crimes committed by the country’s military, amid intensifying violence.
“The frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity has only increased in recent months,” said the head of the investigation team, formally known as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).
Addressing the forum in Geneva, teh situation was described as even “more brazen aerial bombings and indiscriminate shelling, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians including children. We have also seen increased executions of captured combatants and civilians and intentional burnings of homes and villages.”
Listing a series of further violations including torture, sexual violence and arrests, investigators highlighted the lack of due process and accountability for war crimes, particularly within the Myanmar military.
Delegations including the European Union, Finland, Canada and Costa Rica condemned the violence, while numerous other countries urged the military junta to allow the IIMM access to the country.
Among the Council’s 47 Member States, China, Iran and Russia underscored the principle of national sovereignty regarding external intervention.
Despite a lack of physical access to Myanmar, the head of the investigation team highlighted the unprecedented and unanticipated level of information that had been collated – facilitated by witnesses as well as modern technology.
From The Shadows Emerges Knowledge