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Myanmar Mechanism advances its identification of perpetrators – Annual Report

August 12, 2025/in News

Geneva, 12 August 2025 – The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism) has made important progress in collecting evidence of crimes against people detained by the Myanmar military authorities and in establishing the identity of perpetrators of these crimes, as outlined in its Annual Report, released today. The crimes include torture and sexual violence. “We have uncovered […]

UN probe finds evidence of ‘systematic torture’ in Myanmar

August 12, 2025/in News

Investigators name senior figures among those responsible for alleged abuses at detention facilities. United Nations investigators say they have gathered evidence of systematic torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities, identifying senior figures among those responsible. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), set up in 2018 to examine potential breaches of international law, said on Tuesday […]

Myanmar Mechanism advances its identification of perpetrators – Annual Report

August 12, 2025/in News

UN probe finds evidence of ‘systematic torture’ in Myanmar

August 12, 2025/in News

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Myanmar Mechanism advances its identification of perpetrators – Annual Report

August 12, 2025/in News

Geneva, 12 August 2025 – The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism) has made important progress in collecting evidence of crimes against people detained by the Myanmar military authorities and in establishing the identity of perpetrators of these crimes, as outlined in its Annual Report, released today. The crimes include torture and sexual violence.

“We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,” said Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism. “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.”

The Report, which focuses on the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, details the documented torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities which includes beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, gang rape, burning of sexual body parts and other forms of sexual violence. The Mechanism has made advances in identifying individuals involved in operations at specified detention facilities and the security force units to which they belong.

The Mechanism has also collected evidence identifying perpetrators who have summarily executed captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers. These killings have been perpetrated both by the Myanmar security forces and affiliated militias and by opposition armed groups.

The Report also details the Mechanism’s intensified investigations into air attacks on schools, homes and hospitals which have injured and killed civilians, including in the days following the deadly March 2025 earthquake when rescue operations were still ongoing. The Mechanism is analysing the composition of the Myanmar Air Force and its chain of command to identify the perpetrators involved.

“Our Report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar,” said Koumjian. “We are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law.”

The Mechanism has opened new investigations into atrocities committed against various communities in Rakhine State as the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army battle for control of the territory. In parallel, the Mechanism continues to investigate earlier crimes committed by the Myanmar security forces during the 2016 and 2017 clearance operations against the Rohingya, focusing on evidence which establishes a link between the actions of specific individuals and the crimes committed.

The findings outlined in the Report are based on information collected from more than 1,300 sources, including almost 600 eyewitness testimonies, and additional evidence such as photographs, videos, audio material, documents, maps, geospatial imagery, social media posts and forensic evidence.

The Mechanism is proactively sharing relevant evidence and analysis with authorities working on ongoing cases concerning the Rohingya at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and in Argentina, and is also responding to specific requests for information, including from the United Kingdom.

The evidence provided by the Mechanism contributed to the investigations underlying the November 2024 request by the ICC Prosecutor for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military. Evidence shared by the Mechanism was also used by the Investigative Judge for the Argentine Federal District Court in Buenos Aires who, in February this year, ordered arrest warrants summoning Min Aung Hlaing and 24 other individuals to appear before her.

While the number of serious international crimes in Myanmar continues to increase, the Mechanism’s access to resources needed to investigate the crimes has significantly diminished due to the United Nations’ funding and liquidity crisis. The Mechanism continues to explore all strategies to conduct its work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM or Mechanism) was created by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and other violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. It aims to facilitate justice and accountability by preserving and organizing this evidence and preparing analysis that can be used by authorities to prosecute individuals in national, regional and international courts.

IIMM

UN probe finds evidence of ‘systematic torture’ in Myanmar

August 12, 2025/in News

Investigators name senior figures among those responsible for alleged abuses at detention facilities.

United Nations investigators say they have gathered evidence of systematic torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities, identifying senior figures among those responsible.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), set up in 2018 to examine potential breaches of international law, said on Tuesday that detainees had endured beatings, electric shocks, strangulation and fingernail removal with pliers.

“We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,” Nicholas Koumjian, head of the mechanism, said in a statement accompanying its 16-page report.

The UN team said some prisoners died as a result of the torture.

It also documented the abuse of children, often detained unlawfully as proxies for their missing parents.

According to the report, the UN team has made more than two dozen formal requests for information and access to the country, all of which have gone unanswered. Myanmar’s military authorities did not respond to media requests for comment.

The military has repeatedly denied committing atrocities, saying it is maintaining peace and security while blaming “terrorists” for unrest.

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The findings cover a year that ended on June 30 and draw on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of witness accounts, forensic analysis, photographs and documents.

The IIMM said it identified high-ranking commanders among the perpetrators but declined to name them to avoid alerting those under investigation.

The report also found that both government forces and armed opposition groups had committed summary executions. Officials from neither side of Myanmar’s conflict were available to comment.

The latest turmoil in Myanmar began when a 2021 military coup ousted an elected civilian government, sparking a nationwide conflict. The UN estimates tens of thousands of people have been detained in efforts to crush dissent and bolster the military’s ranks.

Last month, the leader of the military government, Min Aung Hlaing, ended a four-year state of emergency and appointed himself acting president before planned elections.

The IIMM’s mandate covers abuses in Myanmar dating back to 2011, including the military’s 2017 campaign against the mostly Muslim Rohingya, which forced hundreds of thousands of members of the ethnic minority to flee to Bangladesh, and postcoup atrocities against multiple communities.

The IIMM is also assisting international legal proceedings, including cases in Britain. However, the report warned that budget cuts at the UN could undermine 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.

Al Jazeera News

Other Human Rights Reports

Myanmar Mechanism investigations reveal deliberate attacks on civilians by the Myanmar military – Annual ReportAugust 12, 2026 - 9:49 am
Geneva, 11 August 2026 – Investigations by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism), as detailed in its Annual Report released today, show a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on civilians, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence committed by the Myanmar military. The Myanmar military escalated its aerial attacks and other crimes against civilians in the lead-up to […]

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]

Multimedia

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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