[ad_1]
Fortify Rights said two senior commanders admitted to the killings and agreed to cooperate with international justice agencies on issues that constitute war crimes.
The human rights group Fortify Rights said that two senior commanders of the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) admitted that security forces under their control detained and killed 25 men in the territory near the Myanmar-Thailand border in June.
The suspended General Ner Dah Bo Mya and Lieutenant Saw Ba Wah told Fortify Rights that their people were responsible.
General Ner Dah Bo Mya denied any wrongdoing, saying that these people were unarmed and ununiformed and were “spies” of the army. His troops “must kill them, otherwise they will try to escape in battle, and then they will come back. Yes, it’s difficult for us.” The order came from the “Intelligence Captain” of the Karen National Union (KNU)-the political group that controls the Karen National Union-the general added.
Fortify Rights stated that KNU has confirmed that they will cooperate with international investigators to share evidence of killings and other crimes and conduct their own investigations into atrocities.
Killing constitutes a war crime. Fortify Rights said on Tuesday.
“This is a massacre and should be investigated and prosecuted,” Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith said in a statement. “KNU has set an important example in transparency, cooperation and commitment to sharing evidence of atrocities with international judicial mechanisms.”
This incident came to light for the first time after state media accused KNDO fighters of killing 25 people in June. They were allegedly civilians engaged in road construction projects.
These men were among 47 people detained by KNDO in Kanele Village, Karen State on May 31, including 16 women and children. Fortify Rights said the 25 men were killed on June 1, and the rest were released within the following week.
In addition to interviews with General Ner Dah Bo Mya and Lieutenant Saw Ba Wah, human rights organizations also interviewed representatives of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), members of Karen civil society and independent analysts to understand what happened on June 1. It also views and analyzes mobile phone videos and images.
Since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, Myanmar has been in a state of turmoil. One of the country’s largest ethnic armed groups has provided refuge to those who oppose the takeover.
In March, Karen fighters occupied a military post and the army retaliated by airstrikes. This was the first airstrike in the state in more than 20 years, which is located on the border of Thailand. According to the United Nations, the conflict forced at least 100,000 people to leave their homes.
According to the Political Prisoners Aid Association, the military was accused of human rights violations in suppressing the anti-coup d’etat, and 1,000 people have been killed since the coup d’etat.
It was also investigated for genocide due to the brutal suppression of ethnic Rohingya in 2017, which forced hundreds of people to flee to Bangladesh.
[ad_2]
Source link