UN notes increased "brutality" of "atrocities" in Burma

MADRID (EUROPA PRESS) - UN investigators have detected "a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities" in Burma, a country where they have already gathered evidence of "systematic torture" in detention centers controlled by the military junta.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Burma published its annual report on Tuesday, and its chief investigator, Nicholas Koumjian, stressed that they have "significant" evidence in this regard, including witness statements.

The objective of these investigations is also to identify those responsible for these abuses, "including the commanders who oversee the facilities" where beatings, electric shocks, drownings, rape, and burnings, among other torture, allegedly occur.

The UN has confirmed indiscriminate bombing of schools, homes, and hospitals by the Air Force, in some cases in the days following the devastating earthquake that devastated several parts of the Asian country in March of this year.

On the other hand, the report includes cases of summary executions of combatants or civilians captured in combat situations. In this regard, the UN points not only to forces directly linked to the military junta, but also to affiliated militias and armed opposition groups.

"We are working toward a day when those responsible will be held accountable for their actions before a court," Koumjian said. The mechanism already shares its reports with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and national authorities that specifically request data on past abuses in Burma.