The use of force against the people of Myanmar by the country’s military has increased, the UN body that investigates human rights violations in the country said in a report released on Tuesday for the 12 months to June.
“There is substantial evidence that atrocious war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Myanmar military have increased at an alarming rate across the country,” the report said.
Myanmar has been in violent chaos since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s elected leader, in February 2021. Various rebel groups have launched attacks against the military with considerable success.
Suu Kyi, 79, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence.
The report says the findings are based on information and evidence gathered from more than 900 sources, including more than 400 eyewitness statements and additional evidence such as photographs, videos, audio, documents, maps, geographical images, social media posts and forensic evidence.
“Thousands of people have been arrested and many have been tortured or killed in custody. There is abundant evidence of systematic torture, including severe physical and mental abuse such as beatings, electric shocks, strangulation and sleep deprivation,” it said.
“There is also evidence of gang rape, burning of sexual body parts and other violent sexual and gender-based crimes committed in detention. The victims are people of all genders and ages, including children,” it adds.
The junta carried out airstrikes on schools, religious buildings and hospitals, the report said. It reported physical mutilation of those detained during the conflict, “including beheadings and public displays of mutilated and sexually mutilated bodies.”
