East Timor war crimes case against Min Aung Hlaing reaches next stage
May 4, 2026
A criminal file against Min Aung Hlaing has been formally submitted to the Court of First Instance in Timor-Leste for judicial review, accusing the Myanmar dictator of war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) on Monday.
The criminal complaint was filed in January with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Dili by the CHRO’s director Salai Za Uk, calling for a formal investigation and backed by evidence of gang rape of a pregnant woman, mass killings including the murder of a journalist and a 13-year-old boy, targeted attacks on Christian leaders, and indiscriminate airstrikes on a hospital that killed medical staff and patients.
The case is being brought under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows Timor-Leste to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes regardless of where they took place or the nationality of the victims and perpetrators.
Another criminal complaint was submitted to the prosecutor’s office in Jakarta, Indonesia in April by a Rohingya survivor and several prominent Indonesian over the alleged genocide case against Rohingya community in Rakhine State.
An Argentine court, meanwhile, issued an international arrest warrant for the coup leader-turned-president in 2025 for genocide against the Rohingya.
Photo: Thantlang town burns after a junta attack in Chin State in 2022. / CDF-Thantlang
