Global Inaction Fueling Human Rights Catastrophe in Myanmar: UN Rapporteur

In his final dispatch as UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews on Tuesday urged international governments to ramp up efforts for accountability, noting that decades of impunity have led the country to a human rights catastrophe.

The UN expert said that ending Myanmar’s crisis requires not only dismantling the military’s capacity to attack and oppress its people, but also holding those responsible for grave human rights violations to account.

The international community has done far too little to pursue justice, he said, fueling anger across Myanmar over a decades-long cycle of violence for which not a single military leader has faced consequences. He added that accountability remains elusive despite overwhelming evidence of decades of military atrocities, including targeted attacks on civilians and ethnic minorities, and widespread sexual violence.