Human rights organization Fortify Rights has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) member states to offer protection to witnesses with crucial evidence of alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the Myanmar military junta.
The appeal was made following the discovery of “ten secretly recorded videos” revealing severe torture of detainees in Mandalay Region, Myanmar.
According to Fortify Rights, the videos showcase various instances of brutality by junta personnel, including fatal beatings and electrocutions.
One distressing scene describes a man beaten with a long implement while naked and bound on the floor. Another grim account indicates two detainees were beaten to death.
“These torture videos are the type of evidence needed for justice and accountability. However, the key witness who filmed these requires protection to ensure the usefulness of this valuable evidence,” Chit said Chit Seng, a Human Rights Associate at Fortify Rights.
The organization has not released the videos to safeguard the integrity of future prosecutions and for the security of the witness, who remains in direct communication with Fortify Rights.
The defector, a 35-year-old former Myanmar Air Force private, secretly recorded the torture incidents at an interrogation center in 2021 before fleeing the country.
In March 2023, the witness communicated with the Independent International Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), which collects evidence of international crimes but does not offer witness protection, highlighting a significant gap in accountability efforts.
Fortify Rights has identified five military personnel from the videos who are implicated in these abuses, suggesting that they should be investigated and prosecuted under international law.
The group has preserved the videos and is prepared to share them with prosecutorial authorities.
Moreover, the extensive documentation by Fortify Rights and a joint report with Yale Law School titled “Nowhere is Safe” shed light on the systemic torture following Myanmar’s February 2021 military coup, underlining the severity of the situation.
Despite the ongoing ICC investigations related to the ethnic Rohingya community, no current investigations address the post-coup crimes.
Fortify Rights urged ICC member states to refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC Prosecutor for immediate investigation of these ongoing atrocity crimes.
“The junta will continue its persecution and abuse until the international community and the ICC act decisively,” said Seng.
