September 8, 2025, Serious international crimes in Myanmar are escalating, with civilians increasingly suffering under military rule, warned Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), during his statement at the 60th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council.
Seventh Annual Report of the IIMM
Presenting the Mechanism’s seventh Annual Report, Koumjian said Myanmar’s military continues to commit widespread abuses including arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and aerial attacks on civilian areas.
“The Mechanism has gathered evidence of the military arresting thousands of perceived political opponents without due process, and systematically torturing detainees by inflicting beatings, gang rape, and other forms of sexual violence,” he stated.
Air Strikes and Command Responsibility
The IIMM has intensified investigations into air strikes that struck homes, hospitals, IDP camps, schools, and places of worship without military justification. Koumjian emphasized that evidence is being gathered to establish the chain of command within the Myanmar Air Force.
Crimes in Rakhine State
In Rakhine, the Mechanism is investigating allegations of aerial bombings, torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, the use of civilians as human shields, and denial of humanitarian aid. Rohingya communities remain among the worst affected, with about 150,000 newly displaced to Bangladesh. Koumjian confirmed that crimes allegedly committed by both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) are under investigation.
“We have evidence of instances where both the Myanmar military and various opposition forces have summarily executed captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers,” he said, urging all armed groups to respect the laws of war, which prohibit targeting civilians and executing prisoners.
Evidence Shared Internationally
The Mechanism has collected and analyzed material from more than 1,300 sources, including testimony from over 600 eyewitnesses. This evidence has been shared with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Federal Prosecutor in Argentina, and authorities in the United Kingdom.
Cycle of Impunity
Despite repeated calls from ASEAN and the Human Rights Council to end the violence, Koumjian warned that the situation continues to deteriorate.
“If crimes remain ignored and unpunished, perpetrators will be emboldened to commit further atrocities. To break this cycle of impunity we must have sustained political will,” he stressed.
He reaffirmed the IIMM’s readiness to support any jurisdiction willing to prosecute those responsible for grave crimes in Myanmar.
