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Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, says UN report
The UN said Myanmar's military-backed government has ignored more than 24 requests for crime details and access to the country. (EPA images pic) GENEVA : UN investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the senior perpetrators. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIIM), formed in 2018 to analyse evidence of serious violations of international law, said victims were subject to beatings, electric shocks, strangulations and other forms of torture like the removal of fingernails with pliers. 'We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,' Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIIM said in a statement accompanying the 16-page report. The torture sometimes resulted in death, the report said. Children, who are often unlawfully detained as proxies for their missing parents, were among those tortured, it said. A spokesperson for Myanmar's military-backed government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests by the UN team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the UN report said. The military says it has a duty to ensure peace and security. It has denied atrocities have taken place and has blamed 'terrorists' for causing unrest. The findings in the report covering a one-year period through to June 30 were based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitness testimonies as well as forensic evidence, documents and photographs. The list of perpetrators identified so far includes high-level commanders, the report said. An IIIM spokesperson declined to name them, saying investigations are ongoing and it wanted to avoid alerting the individuals. The report also said that both Myanmar security forces and opposition armed groups had carried out summary executions in the conflict, and it had identified those responsible. A government spokesperson and an opposition spokesperson were not immediately available for comment. Myanmar has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup against an elected civilian government plunged the country into civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then in an attempt to silence opponents and recruit soldiers, the UN says. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ended a four-year state of emergency last month and announced the formation of a new government, with himself as acting president, ahead of a planned election. The IIIM has been investigating abuses in Myanmar since 2011, including both crimes committed against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017, when hundreds of thousands were forced to flee a military crackdown and violations affecting all groups since the coup. The IIIM said that it is supporting several jurisdictions investigating the alleged crimes, such as Britain. However, the IIIM said in its report that UN budget cuts are threatening its work. 'These financial pressures threaten the Mechanism's ability to sustain its critical work and to continue supporting international and national justice efforts,' it said.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Junta accused of routine torture
In ruins: A building destroyed in a bombardment carried out by the military on April 19 in Thabeikkyin township, Mandalay region. Koumjian says that the IIMM had observed 'a continued rise in the frequency and brutality of atrocities' while making 'progress in identifying the perpetrators.' — AFP UN investigators say they have recorded 'systematic' torture in Myanmar's military-run detention facilities including beatings, electric shocks and gang rape. Myanmar has been in a civil war since the military deposed the civilian government in a 2021 coup, with troops fighting an array of pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic armed groups. The fighting has been accompanied by a crackdown which has seen nearly 30,000 people arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitor group. A report by the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said it had identified 'serious abuses during interrogations and in detention facilities'. A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment on the allegations laid out in an IIMM annual report released on Tuesday, drawing on testimony from nearly 600 eyewitnesses. It said there had been 'systematic commission' of torture including 'sexual slavery', the 'burning of sexual body parts with cigarettes or burned objects' and fingernails being pulled out with pliers. It also found evidence 'indicating that children – ranging from two to 17 years of age – have been detained, often as proxies for their parents'. 'Some of the detained children have been subjected to torture, ill-treatment or sexual and gender-based crimes,' it added. IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian said the organisation had seen 'a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities' but had made 'headway in identifying the perpetrators'. 'We are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law,' he added. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has already requested an arrest warrant for junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted and jailed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. That warrant request relates to alleged atrocities committed by the military on Myanmar's Rohingya minority in 2017. All sides in Myanmar's civil war have been accused of committing war crimes, and the IIMM report said it had also identified cases where opposition groups had committed summary executions of captives. — AFP
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, UN report says
United Nations investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the most senior perpetrators. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), formed in 2018 to analyse evidence of serious violations of international law, said victims were subject to beatings, electric shocks, gang rape, strangulation and other forms of torture like the removal of fingernails with pliers. 'We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,' Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, said in a statement accompanying the 16-page report. The torture sometimes resulted in death, the report said. Children, who are often unlawfully detained as proxies for their missing parents, were among those tortured, it said. In an email to Reuters, Myanmar's military government said it was conducting 'security measures' lawfully and did not illegally arrest, torture or execute innocent civilians. It said 'terrorists' were responsible for torture and killings. The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests by the U.N. team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the U.N. report said. The military's response to Reuters did not address the U.N. allegation. The findings in the report covering a one-year period through to June 30 were based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitness testimonies as well as forensic evidence, documents and photographs. Perpetrators identified so far include high-level commanders, the report said, although names were withheld due to ongoing investigations and concerns about alerting the individuals. Investigators focused on torture partly because many victims were able to identify perpetrators individually which Koumjian, a former prosecutor, said could help with future convictions. 'People often know the names or they certainly know the faces of those who torture them or who torture their friends,' Koumjian told reporters in Geneva. Myanmar has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup against an elected civilian government plunged the country into civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then, the United Nations says. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ended a four-year state of emergency last month and announced the formation of a new government, with himself as acting president, ahead of a planned election. The IIMM is investigating abuses in Myanmar since 2011, including crimes committed against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017 when hundreds of thousands were forced to flee a military crackdown, and those affecting all groups since the coup. The IIMM is supporting jurisdictions investigating the alleged crimes, such as Britain and the International Criminal Court. However, Koumjian said U.N. budget cuts threaten its work. Donations for its research on sexual violence and crimes against children as well as funding for witness security are set to run out at year-end, he said. 'All of this would have a very substantial effect on our ability to continue to document the crimes and provide evidence that will be useful to jurisdictions prosecuting these cases,' he said.
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, UN report says
GENEVA (Reuters) -- United Nations investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the most senior perpetrators. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), formed in 2018 to analyze evidence of serious violations of international law, said victims were subject to beatings, electric shocks, gang rape, strangulation and other forms of torture like the removal of fingernails with pliers. "We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities," Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, said in a statement accompanying the 16-page report. The torture sometimes resulted in death, the report said. Children, who are often unlawfully detained as proxies for their missing parents, were among those tortured, it said. In an email to Reuters, Myanmar's military government said it was conducting "security measures" lawfully and did not illegally arrest, torture or execute innocent civilians. It said "terrorists" were responsible for torture and killings. The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests by the U.N. team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the U.N. report says. The military's response to Reuters did not address the U.N. allegation. The findings in the report cover one year through to June 30 and are based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitnesses. Forensic evidence, documents and photographs were also used. Perpetrators identified so far include high-level commanders, the report says, although names were withheld due to ongoing investigations and concerns about alerting the individuals. Investigators focused on torture partly because many victims were able to identify perpetrators individually, which Koumjian, a former prosecutor, said could help with future convictions. "People often know the names or they certainly know the faces of those who torture them or who torture their friends," Koumjian told reporters in Geneva. Myanmar has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup against an elected civilian government plunged the country into civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then, the United Nations says. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ended a four-year state of emergency last month and announced the formation of a new government, with himself as acting president, ahead of a planned election. The IIMM is investigating abuses in Myanmar since 2011, including crimes committed against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017, when hundreds of thousands were forced to flee a military crackdown, and those affecting all groups since the coup. The IIMM is supporting jurisdictions investigating the alleged crimes, such as Britain and the International Criminal Court. However, Koumjian said U.N. budget cuts threaten the IIMM's work. Donations for its research on sexual violence and crimes against children as well as funding for witness security are set to run out at year-end, he said. "All of this," he said, "would have a very substantial effect on our ability to continue to document the crimes and provide evidence that will be useful to jurisdictions prosecuting these cases."
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Myanmar junta arrests children as young as two and uses ‘systematic torture', says UN
Myanmar junta detained children as young as two years old and subjected them to torture, sexual abuse, and beatings to often use them as proxies for their parents, a United Nations-led investigation has found. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) – covering a period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 – has found evidence of ' war crimes and crimes against humanity committed' in Myanmar with an increasing frequency since the 2021 military coup. The investigation covering a one-year period draws on more than 1,300 sources, including nearly 600 eyewitness testimonies, photographs, videos, documents, maps and forensic evidence. The report found evidence of a rise in mass imprisonment without due process, indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery and drone attacks causing civilian deaths, burning of homes, hospitals, schools, religious sites and widespread torture, including sexual violence in detention. It said gathered evidence from eyewitnesses indicating that children – aged ranging from two to 17 years – have been detained and subjected to 'torture, ill treatment or sexual and gender-based crimes'. These children are often detained in place of their parents, who are suspected to be associated with opposition groups or movements but remain absconding. The report uncovered a pattern of intensifying 'systematic torture' in Myanmar's military-run detention facilities using methods of electric shocks, strangulations and gang rapes. 'We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,' said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the mechanism formed in 2018 to analyse evidence of serious violations of international law. 'We have made headway in identifying the perpetrators, including the commanders who oversee these facilities and we stand ready to support any jurisdictions willing and able to prosecute these crimes.' It comes as the nationwide fighting between the military and armed pro-democracy forces as well as ethnic armed militias, has intensified in the country since military coup of February 2021, when the army overthrew the civilian-run government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the detained civilian leaders, including president Win Myint. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced since as fighting continues between the junta and the resistance forces in many areas, with both sides accused of using civilians as informants, forced conscriptions and targets. The report said investigators had made progress in identifying individual members and units of the security forces linked to operations at specific detention sites, including direct perpetrators of sexual and gender-based crimes as well as senior commanders. But the names were being withheld to avoid alerting those under investigation. 'It's very important that perpetrators believe that somebody is watching, somebody is collecting evidence,' said Mr Koumjian said. 'Our report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar,' he added. 'We are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law.' The military-ruled government has consistently denied carrying out attacks on civilians. A spokesperson for Myanmar's military-backed government did not immediately respond to the UN's requests for comment. The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests by the UN team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the UN report said.
