Warning that civilians of all ethnicities are most affected, he said: “We have accumulated evidence that people detained by military authorities have been tortured and subjected to various forms of sexual violence.”
“We have evidence of the identity of the perpetrators and their commanders.”
Koumjian added that his team has also documented summary executions and attacks on schools, hospitals and places of worship as the military increasingly relies on airstrikes.
He noted that in Rakhine state, where the Arakan Army (an armed ethnic group fighting Myanmar’s military junta) has seized most of the territory, the brutal military response has left civilians destitute and hungry.
“(We are) gathering evidence of several alleged atrocities, including drone attacks on civilians, executions, rape, torture and the obstruction of humanitarian aid to a population facing hunger,” he said.
In Mandalay, a teacher stands among the ruins of the classroom where he once taught English and science, now destroyed by the March earthquakes.
An invisible crisis
Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said the situation has worsened dramatically, with almost 22 million people now needing help and 16.7 million facing acute food insecurity.
The March earthquakes in central Myanmar left approximately 200,000 people homeless, damaged 157,000 buildings and caused an estimated $11 billion in losses.
“The military junta took this natural disaster and turned it into a humanitarian catastrophe,” Andrews said. “They systematically blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid, harassed and threatened aid workers, looted homes and medical supplies, and forcibly recruited young people into the army.”
After the earthquake, airstrikes against civilian targets increased, surpassing pre-earthquake levels. The health system was also targeted, with 169 attacks on medical facilities and staff in the first eight months of 2025, while food shortages in central Rakhine state worsened dramatically, leaving 58 percent of families unable to meet their basic needs.
“The crisis is getting worse every day,” he warned. “This is not just a national tragedy; it is affecting the entire region and beyond.”
Lack of funds jeopardizes efforts
Koumjian also warned that a funding shortfall could soon force the Mechanism to lose a third of its staff – including experts on gender crimes and crimes against children – undermining accountability efforts.
“Seeking justice for crimes committed in Myanmar sends an important message,” he said, “that the international community will not stand by when civilians are attacked and international law is ignored.”
A general view shows an internally displaced persons camp in eastern Myanmar.
“Time escapes us”
Julie Bishop, the Secretary-General’s special envoy for Myanmar, echoed those concerns and urged renewed diplomatic engagement as “time slips away from us.”
He described a “deeply disturbing pattern of indiscriminate attacks on civilians” and said planned elections in Myanmar risk “deepening violence and instability” as opposition groups reject them as illegitimate.
He warned that those who support these elections “should consider the possible consequences… no election should put human lives at risk.”
Independent experts
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the country are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor abuses and demand accountability.
The IIMM is tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of international crimes for future judicial proceedings.
The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert, not a UN staff member, who reports impartially on human rights conditions.