Irrawaddy/AFP-Aug 9
UN investigators on Tuesday reported mounting evidence of crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and sexual violence, committed in Myanmar since last year’s military coup. The United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said women and children were particularly being targeted. “There are ample indications that since the military takeover in February 2021, crimes have been committed in Myanmar on a scale and in a manner that constitutes a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population,” the investigators said in a statement. Myanmar’s military seized power on Feb. 1 last year, ousting the civilian government and arresting de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta has waged a bloody crackdown on dissent, with the violence leaving more than 2,100 civilians dead and nearly 15,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group. The investigation team warned in its annual report that over the 12 months to the end of June, “the scope of potential international crimes taking place in Myanmar has broadened dramatically”. The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018 to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes and prepare files for criminal prosecution. It cooperates with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court among others. Last month, the International Court of Justice in The Hague threw out objections from Myanmar’s military rulers and decided to hear a landmark case accusing the country of genocide against the Rohingya. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mounting-proof-of-crimes-against-humanity-in-myanmar-un-probe.html
