MORE THAN ONE thousand people may have been killed in crimes against humanity and war crimes since Myanmar’s military coup one year ago, according to investigators.

The United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), responsible for collecting evidence of the most serious international crimes, said it was working to substantiate who may be responsible for any crimes committed.

“Tragically, reports received over the last year suggest that well over a thousand individuals have been killed in circumstances that may qualify as crimes against humanity or war crimes,” IIMM head Nicholas Koumjian said in a statement.

Myanmar’s military seized power on 1 February last year, ousting the civilian government and arresting its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta has waged a bloody crackdown on dissent.

The UN Human Rights Office says that since the coup, at least 1,500 people have been killed by the military in a brutal effort to crush dissent, while thousands more would have been killed in the wider armed conflict and violence.

“The security forces have detained thousands of civilians in circumstances that include credible allegations of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence and even killings while in detention,” Koumjian said.

“The Mechanism is working diligently to substantiate and document the facts underlying these reports to establish whether these crimes were committed and if so, who is criminally responsible, and to prepare files that could facilitate prosecutions.”

He said that with thousands of people and organisations sharing evidence, investigators had already gathered lots of relevant material and the file was growing almost daily.

The team “will make every effort to build cases so that their brave contributions to justice in Myanmar are not made in vain”, Koumjian said.

The US prosecutor said strong case files could facilitate prosecutions in national and international courts.

“Those who are considering committing crimes should be aware that serious international crimes have no statute of limitations,” Koumjian warned.

“International justice has a very long memory and one day the perpetrators of the most serious international crimes in Myanmar will be held to account.”

The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018 to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law and prepare files for criminal prosecution committed since 2011.

Located in Geneva, it started work in August 2019 and reports annually to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.

© AFP 2022