Timor-Leste launches war crimes case against Myanmar junta

Timor-Leste has opened legal proceedings against Myanmar’s military regime, marking the first time a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has pursued war crimes charges against a fellow member state.

The case, filed in Dili by the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), targets Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and Myanmar’s junta for crimes against humanity. Judicial authorities in Timor-Leste have appointed a senior prosecutor to examine the complaint, which invokes universal jurisdiction.

The CHRO’s submission details alleged atrocities in Chin State, including the gang rape of a pregnant woman, the killing of civilians — among them a journalist and a 13-year-old boy — and attacks on churches, hospitals and Christian leaders. The group says these abuses reflect a systematic campaign of terror against civilians.

Salai Za Uk, CHRO’s executive director, welcomed the move, citing Timor-Leste’s own history of suffering under occupation. “There is a real sense of solidarity with the people of Myanmar, against whom the junta is inflicting appalling barbarities on an almost hourly basis,” he said.

Timorese lawyer Jose Teixeira, representing the CHRO, stressed the independence of the judiciary. “The rule of law is a priority issue for Timor-Leste. We firmly reject any outside interference, particularly from the Myanmar junta, in Timor-Leste’s court system,” he said.

The proceedings come amid international condemnation of Myanmar’s recent election, which ASEAN itself refused to recognise. Large swathes of the country were excluded from voting, while UN officials reported junta airstrikes that killed at least 170 civilians during the campaign.

Chris Gunness of the Myanmar Accountability Project described the case as a “significant milestone” in the struggle for justice. He said it sends a powerful signal that accountability is central to Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement.

The junta has responded with a formal protest, accusing Timor-Leste of violating ASEAN’s non-interference principle. Yet the move underscores growing frustration within the region over Myanmar’s crisis, which has displaced more than 5 million people and left thousands dead since the 2021 coup.

For Timor-Leste, the case reflects both solidarity and principle: a small nation using its courts to challenge impunity and stand with Myanmar’s people in their fight for justice.

-2026-02-05