Pro-Democracy Resistance Forces Should Establish War-Crimes Investigative Units

 

Pro-democracy organizations in Myanmar should set up units to investigate alleged war crimes and other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed by any parties to the conflict, including the Myanmar junta as well as resistance forces, said Fortify Rights today. Fortify Rights is ready to support resistance forces in establishing war crimes investigative units.   Recently, Karenni leaders indicated to Fortify Rights their interest in potentially establishing a war crimes investigation unit, following workshops on the laws of war and atrocity documentation conducted by Fortify Rights in Karenni State. Karenni forces also reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the laws of war. “As an international human rights organization whose work is led by defenders from the places we work, we are committed to ensuring all parties to armed conflicts understand their obligations under the laws of war and international human rights law, and have the skills to investigate atrocities,” said Peter Bouckaert, Senior Director at Fortify Rights, who has worked in situations of armed conflict for decades. “We observed a serious commitment among participants in Karenni State to understanding and applying international human rights and humanitarian law standards. We believe now is the time for the Karenni and all resistance forces in the country to establish war crimes investigation units within their governance structures, and we’re ready to help them make that a reality.” Fortify Rights recommends that all pro-democracy organizations in Myanmar establish independent war crimes investigation units and is willing to provide technical support and training to any organization committed to upholding the laws of war. The proposed units would be mandated to investigate alleged violations committed by all parties to the armed conflict in Myanmar, free from interference from military and political structures. The units should have the authority to investigate allegations regardless of the alleged perpetrator’s rank, position, or affiliation The recent series of workshops by Fortify Rights is the subject of a new short film released today, showing, among other aspects of the work, participant reactions to the trainings and the difficult journeys required to reach communities and resistance-controlled areas in conflict-affected parts of Karenni State.

At the invitation of the Interim Executive Council (IEC), the civilian branch of the Karenni State revolutionary government in Myanmar, Fortify Rights conducted a series of workshops on human rights and the laws of war in November 2025 and March 2026 for the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces (KNDF), the Karenni Army (KA), and the Karenni People’s Liberation Army (KPLA), the organization said today.   The workshops took place in undisclosed locations in Karenni State and focused on compliance with the laws of war, human rights, weapons identification, investigative skills, and evidence preservation for documenting war crimes. The workshops also taught the resistance forces about their own obligations under the laws of war.   Dozens of commanders and soldiers from the Karenni resistance organizations, including the KNDF, KA, and the KPLA took part in the trainings, which included such concepts as the distinction between military targets and civilians, proportionality, and command responsibility; human rights law; investigative skills such as evidence collection, chain-of-custody preservation, and interviewing with informed consent; weapons identification, which can help in identifying risks as well as documenting crimes; and international accountability mechanisms.   Improving compliance with international humanitarian law and strengthening documentation capacity can help reduce civilian harm, preserve evidence of atrocities, and support future accountability efforts, Fortify Rights said.

Fortify Rights Senior Director Peter Bouckaert facilitating a training on human rights and international humanitarian law in Myanmar’s Karenni State. ©Fortify Rights, 2026

“Our struggle at its very core is about bringing about a new, federally democratic Myanmar where all nationalities can live in peace and with respect for their rights,” said Khun Bedu, Vice-Chairperson of the IEC and Chairperson of the KNDF. “We welcome our collaboration with Fortify Rights in strengthening our troops’ capacity to respect the laws of war, and to investigate and document the ongoing atrocities committed by the Myanmar junta against our people.”   “Baw Baw Htoo”—not her real name—is a member of the Department of Defense of the IEC of Karenni State. She told Fortify Rights: I thoroughly studied the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I also learned about the laws of war as well as documentation, ranging from how to record information to how to securely store those records. Additionally, I learned how to identify and analyze different types of weapons, such as distinguishing whether a certain weapon involves chemical gas. After completing the initial training, Fortify Rights has offered technical support to the IEC to establish a permanent, independent war crimes investigative Unit comprising graduates from the workshop. The IEC and KNDF, as well as other Karenni armed groups, asked Fortify Rights to return for additional workshops to continue training their members in the laws of war, human rights standards, and investigative skills.   Furthermore, on May 20, 2026, Fortify Rights sent a formal letter to the IEC and KNDF, urging them to establish a war crimes investigation unit and to continue defending civilians from war crimes while upholding the laws of war. Pro-democracy forces in Karenni State should continue collaborating with the Karenni Human Rights Group, a state-level human rights organization, as well as with other civil society groups and international human rights organizations.   An estimated 250,000 people have been forcibly displaced in Karenni State since the Myanmar military launched a deadly coup d’etat in February 2021, according to the IEC’s department of humanitarian affairs, making it one of the most heavily displaced regions in Myanmar.   Fortify Rights has documented the Myanmar military junta’s deadly campaign of airstrikes that killed and injured civilians and damaged civilian objects in Kachin and Karenni States, including schools, hospitals, and displacement camps. Fortify Rights also documented additional airstrikes in Karenni State and along the Karenni-Shan State border that demonstrate a continuing pattern of unlawful attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructures.   In 2026, Fortify Rights documented junta attacks on farmers and agricultural land in Karenni State and the Karenni–Shan State border, including arbitrary detention, torture, and aerial bombardments carried out by the Myanmar military.   Community members interviewed by Fortify Rights frequently described KNDF and other Karenni resistance forces as protectors against junta attacks. Nevertheless, all parties to the conflict remain bound by international humanitarian law and should be subject to independent scrutiny.   Senior officials in the Karenni pro-democracy resistance explained to Fortify Rights their commitment to protecting the human rights of civilians, characterizing this as the central goal of their struggle against the Myanmar junta.   The military junta staged sham elections in 2025 and early 2026 and is desperate for political legitimacy on the international stage. Governments worldwide should not lend legitimacy to the illegal military junta through political recognition or support of any kind, including economic engagement, said Fortify Rights. Instead, U.N. member states should increase support for civilian protection, the pro-democratic resistance, community-based humanitarian assistance, and international accountability for ongoing mass atrocity crimes. “Governments worldwide should support the bottom-up governance being built by the IEC and the Karenni people, and they should reject the illegal junta,” said Peter Bouckaert. “The Karenni IEC government is serious about building a future federal democratic Myanmar that reflects the aspirations of the people, and we stand ready to continue working together to support them and others to achieve that vision.”