Human Rights Council
Fifty-sixth session
18 June–12 July 2024
Agenda item 2
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
Summary
Prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 50/3, this report presents findings based on OHCHR monitoring and verification of the situation of human rights in Myanmar regarding implementation of the recommendations made by the independent international fact-finding mission, including those on accountability, and to track progress on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.
I. Introduction and methodology
1. Pursuant to its resolution 50/3, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by the independent international fact-finding mission, including those on accountability, and to continue to track progress on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, including of Rohingya Muslims (Rohingya) and other minorities, and on the overall situation in the country and to report back during the 56th session.
2. Findings have been verified by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) based on remote monitoring conducted between 1 August 2023 and 31 March 2024. While this report refers to patterns of violations since the military coup in February 2021, it also examines trends and patterns in violations of international human rights law and, where applicable, of international humanitarian law, focusing on the human rights situation of the Rohingya and other minorities.
3. In line with resolution 50/3, the report’s objective is to document violations to ensure that verified information is readily available for use in existing and future accountability processes. It underscores the importance of accountability to address the root cause of the escalating human rights crisis and as a cornerstone of sustainable peace.
4. OHCHR conducted 181 interviews, including with victims and witnesses, eleven consultations with local and international organizations, UN entities and thematic experts, as well as analysis of satellite images and official documents. In the absence of recognized governmental authorities,1 OHCHR submitted requests for information to the Myanmar military (the military), UN entities, other stakeholders including the National Unity Government, relevant ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) exercising effective control in certain areas, civil society organizations, and religious organizations and representatives.
Inputs received were analysed and reflected as appropriate.
5. OHCHR prioritized the full respect of the “do no harm” principle over any other consideration. Factual determinations of incidents and patterns were made where there were reasonable grounds to believe that relevant incidents had occurred as described. Figures of verified deaths likely underestimate realities on the ground as military-imposed internet shutdowns since 1 February 2021 and other restrictions hamper ability to verify fully all casualties.
6. This report builds on findings from previous reports and updates. 2 However, conflict dynamics altered substantially since the end of October, following coordinated operations by Ethnic Armed Organizations and other allied anti-military groups in most ethnic states and central regions. In retaliation, the military scaled up airstrikes and the use of heavy weapons, including against civilians and populated areas. The report examines the human rights impacts, including killings, disappearances, and arrests, of the military’s imposition of mandatory military service which has engendered profound fear amongst the public, especially those within the target age of conscription and their families. As fighting intensified, particularly in areas inhabited by minority communities, the report examines attacks against protected religious objects. Similarly, grave human rights concerns affecting the Rohingya and other communities in Rakhine following the resumption of hostilities in November 2023 are analysed, in further context of the binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in 2020.3
7. Amid this dire human rights situation, the report concludes by presenting some positive examples of emerging local forms of administration and governance providing services that protect and promote human rights. Some of these structures, including those in Kayah and Kayin, strive to ensure effective representation and participation of civil society and ensure the representation of women in decision-making. The High Commissioner recommends that these emerging ground-up models be further encouraged and supported, as they may lend themselves to application in other areas of Myanmar as part of possible future solutions.