The Geneva-based agency was appointed by Nicholas Koumjian, Head of Department Independent investigation mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), who presented his latest report.
Mechanism established by the Council to collect and preserve evidence of the most serious international crimes in the country.
Lack of accountability
Mr. Koumjian began by pointing out that it has been five years since the army’s demining operation in August 2017 in Rakhine state forced the majority of the Rohingya to flee.
“Almost all stayed in neighboring countries waiting for the day when conditions would allow them to return home safely and dignified. The end punishment for those who cause violence will do a lot to create such conditions,” he said.
He reported that since the coup, there more and more evidence of the most serious international crimes including murder, torture, deportation and forced transfer, arrest, imprisonment and targeting of civilians.
“The people of Myanmar continue to suffer because irresponsible to those who believe they do not follow the law“I said.
Prioritize women and children
Mr. Koumjian said the Priority Mechanism collects evidence on sexual and gender violence as well as crime against children.
Although women and children are at particular risk in conflicts, crimes against them are often underreported and prosecuted.
“We have collected reports about Children in Myanmar are tortured and arbitrarily detained, sometimes aimed at their parents. he said.
Lack of valid process
The report also mentioned the execution of four pro-democracy activists in July. While the death penalty itself is not an international crime, Koumjian said that “imposition of the death penalty on a procedural basis does not meet the basic requirements of a fair trial. could become a crime against humanity“.
He said there were “strong indications” of executions without due process, adding “the proceedings lack transparency and there is almost no information about the allegations and the evidence”.
Progress and challenges
Mr. Koumjian said the Mechanism faces many challenges, as staff members are denied access to crime scenes and witnesses in Myanmar despite making dozens of requests to the authorities. Even so, remarkable progress has occurred.
“Many brave individuals, NGOs and other organizations have shared valuable evidence with us,” he said.
“We conducted numerous screenings and interviews from people who provided important first-hand information about crimes committed in the country. Ensuring protection and support for those who provide us with information is an issue of growing concern.”
Collect evidence of crime
Mechanism is prepared 67 packs of evidence and analysis to share with judicial authorities, including proceedings in International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
To date, nearly three million “information items” from more than 200 sources have been collected and processed.
These include interview statements, documents, videos, photos, geospatial images, and social media materials. Mr. Koumjian said his team now faces the challenging task of analyzing them.
“For example, Facebook shared with Mechanism millions of items from networks of accounts that were taken down by the company because they misrepresented their identities – the accounts were actually controlled by the Myanmar army,“I said.
Report false facts on social networks
The team identified posts inciting fear and hatred of the Rohingya that appeared on these military-controlled networks. He gives the example of a post that appeared on 10 different pages in such a network shortly before the start of the August 2017 clearance operation.
“The post contains false reports about the arming of the Rohingya people en masse and threatening Myanmar Buddhists, and the photo of a cow with its stomach slashed and dissected – an insulting image to Myanmar Buddhists,” he said.
Seeking justice
To express gratitude to Dong Nhan Quyen AssociationMr. Koumjian called on all countries to “commit to ending the worst violence in Myanmar” to support the work of the Mechanism.
“The perpetrators of the most serious international crimes that have occurred in Myanmar must know that we are united in our efforts to break the cycle of punishment and ensure that those responsible for these crimes,” he said. That evil will face justice.
