Independent UN investigators unveil 'systematic torture' in Myanmar detention facilities

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar made progress in identifying perpetrators of "systematic torture" in detention facilities, according to an annual report issued Tuesday.

"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," said Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the mechanism.

Koumjian noted that they uncovered "significant evidence," including eyewitness testimony showing "systematic torture" in Myanmar detention facilities.

The report, covering July 2024-June 2025, reveals torture in Myanmar’s detention centers, with evidence of summary executions of captured combatants and civilians accused of being informants, carried out by Myanmar security forces, allied militias, and opposition armed groups.

The report highlights the mechanism’s intensified probe into airstrikes targeting schools, homes, and hospitals that caused civilian casualties, including during rescue efforts after the deadly March 2025 earthquake.

"Our report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar," Koumjian noted, stressing that they are working toward the day when the "perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law."

The mechanism has launched new investigations into atrocities against communities in Rakhine state amid ongoing clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an armed group currently in control of parts of the western region.

It also continues probing earlier crimes by Myanmar security forces during the 2016-2017 clearance operations against the Rohingya, focused on linking specific individuals to the offenses committed.

Rakhine state is home to Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar in hundreds of thousands over the past decade due to violent crackdowns by the military and armed groups.