Myanmar's regime is preventing transitional justice from taking place

Myanmar's military dictatorship has undermined democracy. Instead, the regime has launched an unlawful campaign of violence against an unarmed civilian population.
Thousands have been slain, and many more have been arrested on false charges before military tribunals. The junta's actions are direct responses to a burgeoning opposition movement that has rejected the junta's botched power grab.

Since 2004, the Myanmar Network for Human Rights Documentation (ND-Burma) has been documenting systemic human rights violations across the country. Its 13 member groups aim to use the truth about what communities in Myanmar have gone through to advocate for victims' justice. Following last year's attempted coup, it has continued to film crimes in the country in a safe and secure manner.

Documenting human rights violations has always been tough for human rights advocates, but it has grown significantly more difficult in the last year. The junta has targeted anyone who attempt to collect evidence of its crimes as it expands its use of ruthless military techniques across the country. The regime's attempts to hide its tracks include internet bans and scorched-earth campaigns.

Truth, justice, reparations, and non-recurrence are the four pillars of transitional justice (institutional reform). The regime in Myanmar, on the other hand, has blocked all avenues for providing and enforcing transitional justice. The basic function of institutions supposed to maintain and preserve the rule of law continues to be suffocated by a cloak of denial.

Documenting human rights is a step toward transitional justice, allowing survivors to seek accountability through the international system. Allowing victims to share their stories in a secure and accessible environment guarantees that the reconciliation process is transparent from the start. ND-Burma, for example, serves as a facilitator for psychosocial counselling and an advocate for restitution. These possibilities, however, are no longer even faintly available under the current government.

In Myanmar, there is no rule of law or effective transitional justice systems to hold the military accountable for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide. Innocent civilians continue to be attacked with impunity. It's critical to underline that transitional justice is about more than just convictions and penalties. Reparations for victims, recognition and acceptance of the truth of mass abuses, and legal and security improvements to ensure non-repetition are all part of justice.

There is clear evidence that Myanmar's military forces have broken international law by committing grave crimes. In February 2022, ND-Burma and the Karenni Human Rights Group released "The World Must Know," a study detailing the junta's war crimes in Karenni State. These crimes were done without consequence: No one in the case studies offered has seen a single member of the military suffer any punishment for their unlawful actions, including the scores of civilians who were burned alive on December 24, 2021.