The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP) and the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) announced on Monday that Timor-Leste’s judiciary opened legal proceedings against the military in Myanmar, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This is the first time a member of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN), has initiated such action against a fellow ASEAN member state.
“We look forward to working with the Timorese authorities, as well as civil society groups in Timor-Leste, on pursuing justice for the Chin people and all people in Myanmar. Given Timor Leste’s history, and the indignities the Timorese people suffered in their struggle for independence, there is a real sense of solidarity with the people of Myanmar,” said Salai Za Uk Ling, the CHRO executive director.
A senior Timorese prosecutor has been appointed to look into “irrefutable evidence” provided by CHRO, which outlines crimes such as the gang rape of a pregnant woman in front of her husband; the massacre of 10 people, including a journalist and a 13-year-old boy.
More crimes allegedly committed by the Myanmar military includes the deliberate killing of a Christian Pastor and three Deacons; a disproportionate and indiscriminate aerial attack on a hospital, which killed four medical staff and four patients, and a series of attacks on Christian churches and other civilian infrastructure, which are protected under international law.
This case in Timor-Leste was opened under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states or international organizations to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person, regardless of where the alleged crime was committed.
