Min Aung Hlaing, the Myanmarese president, has been charged with crimes against humanity

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

According to the ICC complaint, the coup commander is 'criminally liable' for the mass atrocity crimes committed by the security forces under his direction.

Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for ordering a violent crackdown on protestors and activists opposed to the February 1 coup.

The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP) urged The Hague tribunal to initiate a criminal investigation "into the widespread and systematic use of torture as part of the violent crackdown on the protest movement" in the Southeast Asian country in a document filed on Friday.

 

In July, a UN Rapporteur described the military government's repression of dissenters as "a brute force terror campaign."

In a statement, MAP Director Chris Gunness said, "The commander of the unlawful coup is criminally liable for the security forces under his command committing mass atrocity crimes."

"The chances of a conviction are good, and we believe there are compelling reasons to issue an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing."

 

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a rights organisation that tracks deaths and detentions, at least 1,305 individuals have died as a result of the military crackdown on anti-coup rallies since the coup, including more than 75 children.
A total of 10,756 persons have been detained.

Protesters have become more aggressive as a result of the military's increasingly harsh response to demonstrations.

 

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported more bloodshed on Wednesday, accusing security forces of shooting and burning people, including five children, in the northwest Sagaing district in retribution for recent military strikes.

"We strongly condemn such acts of violence and remind Myanmar's military authorities of their legal responsibility to safeguard the safety and protection of civilians under international law."
"Those responsible for this horrible act must be brought to justice," Dujarric said during his daily briefing.

 

On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US was "outraged" by the incident's "credible and horrifying accounts."

He told reporters, "Appallingly, this is not the first time we have witnessed stories of the Burmese military utilising similar measures to subjugate the people of Burma."
"The military's pervasive use of appalling and cruel violence emphasises the importance of ending the Burmese military's culture of impunity by holding military actors responsible and restoring Burma's road to inclusive democracy," says the report.

 

More violence was reported on social media on Thursday, including the burning of homes and the shooting of at least one citizen in Mon state.