Myanmar Mechanism advances its identification of perpetrators – Annual Report
Geneva, 12 August 2025 – The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism) has made important progress in collecting evidence of crimes against people detained by the Myanmar military authorities and in establishing the identity of perpetrators of these crimes, as outlined in its Annual Report, released today. The crimes include torture and sexual violence.
“We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,” said Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism. “We have made headway in identifying the perpetrators, including the commanders who oversee these facilities, and we stand ready to support any jurisdictions willing and able to prosecute these crimes.”
The Report, which focuses on the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, details the documented torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities which includes beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, gang rape, burning of sexual body parts and other forms of sexual violence. The Mechanism has made advances in identifying individuals involved in operations at specified detention facilities and the security force units to which they belong.
The Mechanism has also collected evidence identifying perpetrators who have summarily executed captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers. These killings have been perpetrated both by the Myanmar security forces and affiliated militias and by opposition armed groups.
The Report also details the Mechanism’s intensified investigations into air attacks on schools, homes and hospitals which have injured and killed civilians, including in the days following the deadly March 2025 earthquake when rescue operations were still ongoing. The Mechanism is analysing the composition of the Myanmar Air Force and its chain of command to identify the perpetrators involved.
“Our Report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar,” said Koumjian. “We are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law.”
The Mechanism has opened new investigations into atrocities committed against various communities in Rakhine State as the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army battle for control of the territory. In parallel, the Mechanism continues to investigate earlier crimes committed by the Myanmar security forces during the 2016 and 2017 clearance operations against the Rohingya, focusing on evidence which establishes a link between the actions of specific individuals and the crimes committed.
The findings outlined in the Report are based on information collected from more than 1,300 sources, including almost 600 eyewitness testimonies, and additional evidence such as photographs, videos, audio material, documents, maps, geospatial imagery, social media posts and forensic evidence.
The Mechanism is proactively sharing relevant evidence and analysis with authorities working on ongoing cases concerning the Rohingya at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and in Argentina, and is also responding to specific requests for information, including from the United Kingdom.
The evidence provided by the Mechanism contributed to the investigations underlying the November 2024 request by the ICC Prosecutor for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military. Evidence shared by the Mechanism was also used by the Investigative Judge for the Argentine Federal District Court in Buenos Aires who, in February this year, ordered arrest warrants summoning Min Aung Hlaing and 24 other individuals to appear before her.
While the number of serious international crimes in Myanmar continues to increase, the Mechanism’s access to resources needed to investigate the crimes has significantly diminished due to the United Nations’ funding and liquidity crisis. The Mechanism continues to explore all strategies to conduct its work as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM or Mechanism) was created by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and other violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. It aims to facilitate justice and accountability by preserving and organizing this evidence and preparing analysis that can be used by authorities to prosecute individuals in national, regional and international courts.
For more information visit iimm.un.org or contact iimm@un.org
