Three prominent human rights organizations have issued a sweeping condemnation of Min Aung Hlaing, accusing Myanmar’s regime leader of using diplomatic coercion to intimidate Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states to try and derail ongoing war crimes investigations under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction.
In a joint statement, the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network (RMCN), the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), and the Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP) alleged that Naypyidaw is actively interfering in domestic legal processes across the region to shield Min Aung Hlaing from individual criminal liability.
“We urge the governments of Timor-Leste and Indonesia to firmly reject any external pressure and uphold the independence of their judicial systems. We further call on all U.N. member states and ASEAN partners to resist this attempt to normalize impunity under the guise of diplomacy,” the three rights groups stated in a press release on May 5.
They referenced Naypyidaw’s expulsion of Timorese diplomats in January, describing the move as a clear attempt to exert political leverage over Dili just as legal proceedings against Min Aung Hlaing were advancing in Timor-Leste.
Interference in Indonesia and Timor-Leste
Meanwhile, a separate January filing in Dili outlines his command responsibility for atrocities in Chin State, including mass killings, sexual violence, and indiscriminate aerial bombardments on civilians and religious institutions, since the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
“A self-appointed regime, instituted without any political mandate or legitimacy, is attempting to act in the name of a sovereign state in order to shield individuals from criminal liability,” the statement added.
Describing Min Aung Hlaing’s actions as a “blatant attempt to pervert the course of justice” and an unacceptable intrusion into the internal affairs of neighbouring ASEAN member states, the three rights organizations issued an urgent appeal to regional leaders.
They asked the governments of Timor-Leste and Indonesia to firmly reject the external pressure from Myanmar and to uphold the independence of their courts.
“The regime’s so-called diplomatic offensive is not reform. It is obstruction. It must be rejected unequivocally,” the statement concluded.
Myanmar is currently facing scrutiny from the world’s two highest international courts in The Hague—the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—where the country stands accused of violating the Genocide Convention for its systematic atrocities against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.
