UN investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the senior perpetrators.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), formed in 2018 to analyse evidence of serious violations of international law, said victims were subject to beatings, electric shocks, strangulation and other forms of torture such as the removal of fingernails 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 the 16-page report.
The torture sometimes resulted in death, the report said. Children, who are often unlawfully detained as proxies for their missing parents, were among those tortured, it said.
A spokesperson for Myanmar's military-backed government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government has not responded to more than two dozen requests by the UN team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the UN report said.
The military said it has a duty to ensure peace and security. It has denied atrocities have taken place and blamed "terrorists" for causing unrest.
The findings in the report covering a one year through to June 30 were based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitness testimonies and forensic evidence, documents and photographs.
The list of perpetrators identified so far includes high-level commanders, the report said. An IIMM spokesperson declined to name them, saying investigations are ongoing and it wanted to avoid alerting the individuals.
The report also said Myanmar security forces and opposition armed groups had carried out summary executions in the conflict, and it had identified those responsible.
A government spokesperson and an opposition spokesperson were not immediately available for comment.
Myanmar has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup against an elected civilian government plunged the country into civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then in an attempt to silence opponents and recruit soldiers, the UN said.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ended a four-year state of emergency last month and announced the formation of a new government, with himself as acting president, ahead of a planned election.
The IIMM is investigating abuses in Myanmar since 2011, including crimes committed against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017 when hundreds of thousands were forced to flee a military crackdown and violations affecting all groups since the coup.
The IIMM said it is supporting several jurisdictions investigating the alleged crimes, such as Britain. However, the IIMM said in its report UN budget cuts are threatening its work.
"These financial pressures threaten the mechanism’s ability to sustain its critical work and to continue supporting international and national justice efforts."
Reuters
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