Myanmar’s military is under the U.S. government examination of crimes against humanity. The investigation, modeled on the U.S. forensic investigation of mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region, would be used to prosecute Myanmar’s military for murder, rape, beatings and other possible offences against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims.
More than a thousand Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from the military crackdown last year in Myanmar have been interviewed by U.S. team of the State Department.
The interviews were conducted in March and April by about 20 investigators with backgrounds in international law and criminal justice, including some who worked on tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
“The purpose of this investigation is to contribute to justice processes, including community awareness raising, international advocacy efforts, and community-based reconciliation efforts, as well as possible investigations, truth-seeking efforts, or other efforts for justice and accountability,” said a document used by the investigators in the sprawling refugee camps and reviewed by Reuters.