UN Report Finds Evidence Of Systematic Torture Carried Out By Myanmar Troops

JAKARTA - United Nations investigators said on Tuesday they had found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified several senior perpetrators.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), which was formed in 2018 to analyze evidence of serious violations of international law, said the victims were subjected to beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, and other forms of torture such as removing nails with pliers.

"We have found significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, which shows systematic torture at Myanmar's detention facility," team head Nicholas Koumjian said in a statement accompanying the 16-page report.

The report further said the torture sometimes resulted in death.

Not only that, children, who are often detained illegally as "substitutional" of their missing parents, were among the tortured, the report said.

The military-backed government has not responded to more than two dozen requests for information from the UN team on alleged crimes and requests for access to the country, the UN report said.

The findings in the report, which cover a period of one year to June 30, are based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitness testimony as well as forensic evidence, documents and photos.

The list of perpetrators identified so far includes high-level commanders, the report said.

The IIMM spokesperson declined to name them, arguing that the investigation was still ongoing and wanted to avoid notification to these individuals.

The report also states that Myanmar security forces and opposition armed groups have carried out brief executions in the conflict, and have identified those responsible.

The military says they have an obligation to ensure peace and security. They denied there had been atrocities and blamed "terrorists" for causing riots.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 military coup against the elected civilian government that plunged the Land of a Thousand Pagodas

Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then in an attempt to silence opponents and recruit soldiers, the United Nations said.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing ended a state of emergency that had been in effect for four years last month, announcing the creation of a new government, with himself acting president, ahead of the planned general election.

The IIMM is investigating a violation that has been ongoing in Myanmar since 2011, including crimes committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017, when hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee military crackdowns and abuses that have affected all groups since the coup.

IIMM stated that it supports several jurisdictions investigating the alleged crime, such as Britain. However, the IIMM stated in its report that the UN budget cuts threaten its performance.

"This financial pressure threatens the ability of the Mechanism to continue its important work and to continue to support international and national justice efforts," he said.