Myanmar junta guilty of ‘systematic torture' in detention centres, claim UN investigators
In its annual report on Tuesday, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) – a body formed in 2018 to analyse serious violations on international law in the southeast Asian country – said it has collected 'significant evidence' of widespread torture inside detention facilities operated by the military.
This includes pulling people's fingernails out using pliers and administering electric shocks, as well as sexual slavery, burning genitals with cigarettes and gang rapes. In some cases, the torture had fatal consequences.
Children have also been affected, according to the IIMM, which said it has eyewitness testimony that toddlers as young as two years old were put in detention as 'proxies for their parents'.
The 16-page report alleged: 'Some of the detained children have been subjected to torture, ill-treatment or sexual and gender-based crimes.'
It is now more than four years since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, plunging the country into a brutal civil war after a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters. At least 6,000 civilians have since been killed, according to the UN.
But tens of thousands of people have also been put behind bars. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has tracked more than 29,000 arrests so far, including 622 children and 6,137 women, while at least 172 people have been sentenced to death.
The latest IIMM report covers the year from July 2024, and is based on more than 1,300 sources – including 600 eyewitness testimonies, plus photographs, documents, forensic evidence and audio recordings.
It covers several areas, from the deteriorating situation in the northwest Rakhine state to the constant threat of air strikes, and military blockades of aid – including in the aftermath of the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake earlier this year.
Joe Freeman, a Myanmar researcher at Amnesty International, said the additional documentation on the torture and ill-treatment of detainees is 'an important contribution to an area that is vastly under-reported'.
'Thousands of Myanmar detainees are suffering in silence in interrogation facilities and prisons across the country, where health care, access to legal services, and food are inadequate,' he told the Telegraph.
'Torture and other ill-treatment in Myanmar detention facilities is common, but few people have a way to lodge complaints or stop the abuse without risking serious retribution, from beatings to solitary confinement to sexual violence.'
The IIMM said it has identified some of the perpetrators of crimes against detainees, which includes senior military officials. They have not been named to avoid alerting the individuals, but include high-level commanders.
'We have made headway in identifying the perpetrators, including the commanders who oversee these facilities,' Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, said in a statement. 'We stand ready to support any jurisdictions willing and able to prosecute these crimes.'
Yet so far, no individuals have been held accountable for violations for violations since the coup, despite mounting evidence against them.
There are, however, ongoing cases focused on the individual criminal responsibility of alleged perpetrators in crimes against the Rohingya during the 'clearance operations' between 2016 and 2017. Many of those accused, including at the International Criminal Court, are also implicated in post-coup crimes.
Bryony Lau, Deputy Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, said: 'The IIMM's latest report shows the full range of horrors being perpetrated by the military junta against Myanmar's people. It is also a reminder to all perpetrators that their crimes are being documented for future prosecutions.
'In the last year progress has been made towards holding individuals criminally liable, including through the ICC for crimes committed against Rohingya in 2016-2017. That was a significant step towards justice – but to ensure accountability for the full scope of crimes committed against all communities, the UN Security Council should refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC.'
Mr Freeman said: 'Given not a single official has ever been held accountable for violations since the coup, it may seem unlikely or unrealistic to expect Myanmar military officials to one day appear in court.
'But several investigations are proceeding, and this kind of evidence-gathering by the IIMM lays the groundwork for future prosecutions,' he added. 'Perpetrators of atrocities in Myanmar should be worried.'
Myanmar's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Telegraph. The IIMM said it had not responded to more than two dozen requests for information.
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