Statement from Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar

 

81st Session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly

Body

Statement by Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar

 

27 October 2026

Mister Chair,  Excellencies,

It is an honour to update you on the progress of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. 

Since I last appeared before you, the situation in Myanmar has further deteriorated with a growing number of its people falling victim to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Myanmar military is increasingly relying on aerial attacks.  We have intensified our investigations into indiscriminate or targeted attacks – including by drones and paramotors – which hit civilians in their homes, hospitals, places of worship, displacement camps and schools. Just two weeks ago, planes bombed a monastery in Sagaing Region and a church complex in Chin State. Last month, bombs struck a market in Rakhine State killing more than 50 people.   

We have also advanced investigations into torture in military-run detention facilities, identifying commanders and interrogators. Witnesses have given us horrific accounts of sexual and gender-based crimes, torture, strangulation and electrocution.  

We are also investigating an increasing number of allegations of atrocities by armed groups opposed to the military. We follow the evidence and investigate perpetrators regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation.

Mister Chair,

Earlier this month, I was in Bangladesh where there are now more than 1.2 million Rohingya who sought shelter after fleeing Myanmar. More than 155,000 have arrived since early 2024.

I met a Rohingya man who told me all five of his children were recently killed in Rakhine State. A woman said her husband had been abducted by the Arakan Army and she did not know his whereabouts. Everyone I met carried pain from their experiences. All want to return to Myanmar and expressed hope that pursuing justice could hasten the day when it would be safe for them to go home. 

The Mechanism is committed to building evidence to support future prosecutions. We have collected videos, photographs, geospatial imagery, social media posts and financial records from over 1,600 sources, and more than 750 testimonies from witnesses. 

We have shared extensive evidence and analysis with authorities pursuing accountability for crimes in Myanmar at the International Criminal Court, the Argentina Federal Court and the International Court of Justice. We have also shared information concerning crimes committed since the 2021 military takeover with authorities from several States who have initiated preliminary investigations. 

I am profoundly grateful to those who have shared information with the Mechanism, often at considerable personal risk. We appreciate their trust and the responsibility that comes with it. We will continue to pursue our investigations with determination, and work with Member States to ensure that the evidence we collect can contribute to holding those most responsible to account.

These are challenging times for international humanitarian law. Since the Nuremberg trials 80 years ago, much effort has gone into strengthening the prohibition on targeting civilians in war and resolving to bring those responsible for the worst of these crimes to justice. Member States must send a message that the people of Myanmar are not forgotten and the crimes being inflicted upon them will not go unpunished. 

Thank you.