UN Investigator Warns of Worsening Atrocities in Myanmar, Rohingya Targeted in Rakhine

Arakan Now | 9 September 2025

At the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), Nicholas Koumjian, warned that Myanmar’s military and armed groups are committing escalating atrocities, with civilians — particularly Rohingya — bearing the brunt of the violence.

Presenting the Mechanism’s seventh annual report on 8 September, Koumjian said evidence shows “serious international crimes are being committed in Myanmar ever more frequently,” including torture, gang rape, and the execution of detainees. “If crimes remain ignored and unpunished, perpetrators will be emboldened to commit further atrocities,” he told the Council.

Targeted Violence in Rakhine State

The IIMM is investigating airstrikes, torture, and sexual violence in Rakhine, where both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army have been accused of committing grave abuses. Koumjian reported that about 150,000 Rohingya have been newly displaced to Bangladesh amid drone and aerial bombings, attacks on civilians, and severe humanitarian blockades.

“Rohingya remaining inside Rakhine are often the victims, but all ethnic communities in Rakhine State are suffering,” he said, emphasizing that starvation and aid obstruction are adding to the crisis.

Evidence of War Crimes Nationwide

Koumjian revealed that investigators have documented instances where both junta forces and opposition groups have summarily executed prisoners and suspected informants. He warned commanders on all sides that international law prohibits targeting civilians or torturing captured fighters.

“Whenever we receive reports of such crimes, regardless of the politics or ethnicity of the perpetrators or victims, we will gather the evidence so that one day the perpetrators… will be held to account,” Koumjian said.

The IIMM has collected evidence from over 1,300 sources, including more than 600 eyewitnesses, and is sharing its findings with courts including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Mechanism is also assisting prosecutions in Argentina, the UK, and other jurisdictions, particularly regarding post-coup violence and crimes against the Rohingya.

Call for Accountability

Despite ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and repeated UN resolutions calling for an end to Myanmar’s conflict, violence continues to escalate. Koumjian stressed the need for “sustained political will” to break the cycle of impunity and pledged the Mechanism’s support for international and national prosecutions.

“The suffering of Myanmar’s people continues to worsen,” Koumjian said. “We stand ready to support jurisdictions willing to prosecute these crimes and bring an end to this suffering.”