TRAINING WORKSHOP ON UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION

 

On 27 September, Aakash Chandran, AJC's Senior Law and Advocacy Manager, participated in a workshop organised by the International Commission of Jurists, 'From Documentation to Accountability', and delivered a training on 'Universal Jurisdiction and Strategic Accountability' to Myanmar lawyers and human rights practitioners. The session focused on the legal and practical application of universal jurisdiction, including jurisdictional and evidentiary considerations, opportunities and challenges in pursuing UJ cases, the role of legal practitioners and human rights documenters, and strategic considerations in linking documentation with potential accountability proceedings.

 

ILA WEBINAR ON CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY CONVENTION

 

On 23 September, AJC’s Executive Director, Dr. Priya Pillai, participated in an introductory webinar hosted by the newly established International Law Association Committee on the Development and Adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. The Committee includes Dr. Leila Sadat and Dr. Olympia Bekou as the Co-chairs, and Dr. Priya Pillai and Christopher Lentz as the Co-Rapporteurs. To read the mandate of the Committee, check here.

BLOG POST ON DR. YUSRA SUEDI’S BOOK

 

Dr. Priya Pillai contributed a post 'Time for a New Paradigm' to the symposium on Dr. Yusra Suedi’s book, ‘The Individual in the Law and Practice of the International Court of Justice’ hosted by CIL Dialogues. In her post, Dr. Pillai questions what makes the ICJ’s truly unique? Should a strict adherence to being state centric—with all its restrictions—be the essential defining feature of the ICJ, or rather, a court that can adapt to the unique times that it finds itself in, in order that such formalism does not come at the cost of its legitimacy?

 

AJC PARTICIPATES IN THE REDRESS’ IMMUNITIES WORKSHOP

 

From 10 – 11 September, AJC’s Senior Law and Advocacy Manager, Aakash Chandran, participated in a two-day conference and workshop, ‘Immunities for International Crimes’, in The Hague, Netherlands, focusing on personal and functional immunity in criminal proceedings both at the national level and before international tribunals. The event aimed to identify opportunities and develop strategies to encourage a continuation of the progressive development of international law and practice towards the non-applicability of immunities in criminal proceedings for international crimes committed by heads of State and foreign officials, including under the future Crimes Against Humanity Convention.

AI: MALAYSIA’S CONTINUED DEPORTATION OF REFUGEES EXPOSES ITS DOUBLE STANDARD ON INTERNATIONAL LAW

 

On 30 September, Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia strongly condemned the Malaysian government’s deportation of 1,476 Myanmar nationals as the first phase of a broader arrangement to return 5,000 people to Myanmar. According to AI, “This is one of the most serious refugee protection failures Malaysia has committed in recent years. The government has been warned repeatedly about the risks. It has heard from refugee communities, civil society organizations, UN agencies and international experts. Yet it has chosen to proceed anyway”.

 

BROUK: MALAYSIA IS MAKING A ‘DEAL WITH THE DEVIL’ OVER REFUGEES

 

On 29 September, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK called on Malaysia to halt the deportations immediately and stop giving political legitimacy to the Burmese military while it continues to commit atrocities against the people of Burma. According to Tun Khin, “There is nothing voluntary about taking people from detention centres and sending them back into the hands of a military that continues to terrorise the people of Burma every single day. Rohingya refugees are genocide survivors. Sending them back means handing them straight back to their persecutors. Rohingya in Burma remain totally dehumanised, denied basic rights and targeted for brutality simply because they are Rohingya.”

 

AJAR: PHOTO EXHIBITION ‘THE COUP YEAR: A VISUAL CHRONICLE OF RESISTANCE IN MYANMAR

 

On 26 September, the Asia Justice and Rights in collaboration with four other organisations organised a photo exhibition “The Coup Year: A Visual Chronicle of Resistance in Myanmar” in Jakarta, featuring a panel discussion on “What ‘ASEAN Way’ for Myanmar?” exploring ASEAN’s role and approach to Myanmar. The exhibition also featured a film screening and discussion exploring Myanmar’s ongoing struggle for democracy, solidarity, and the role of ASEAN in the region.

 

LAW: ‘NAVIGATING THE FORTHCOMING GENOCIDE JUDGMENT IN THE GAMBIA V. MYANMAR’

 

On 23 September, Legal Action Worldwide and the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) published a position paper, ‘Navigating the Forthcoming ICJ Judgment in The Gambia v. Myanmar: A Roadmap for Member States’. The paper has one central message: States must prepare now. A passive “wait-and-see” approach, followed by expressions of concern once the judgment is delivered, would fail the Rohingya and squander one of the most important accountability openings in recent years. The paper explains what the ICJ can and cannot order, and sets out five plausible outcomes, each carrying different legal, diplomatic, and operational consequences.

 

LAW: HRC STATEMENT ON THE SITUATION IN MYANMAR

 

On 7 September, Legal Action Worldwide delivered a statement during the Extensive Interactive Dialogue on reports of the High Commissioner and the IIMM at the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council. The statement reminded the council that “Nine years after the genocide against the Rohingya, the International Court of Justice is approaching a historic judgment in The Gambia v. The Myanmar case and the international community cannot afford to wait for the ruling before deciding how to respond”. LAW further called upon States to “be prepared to end all forms of support that sustain the junta, strengthen sanctions, advance accountability efforts, and establish a reparations framework for Rohingya victims” and ASEAN to “demonstrate effective leadership through maritime protection and making it clear that Myanmar cannot regain regional legitimacy without complying with the ICJ’s ruling.”

BHRN: ‘MYANMAR: JUNTA OFFICIALS SEAL MUSLIM PRAYER SPACES FOLLOWING ANTI-MUSLIM NATIONALIST PRESSURE’

 

On 23 September, the Burma Human Rights Network published a statement calling upon Myanmar’s military junta to immediately unseal prayer spaces at the historic Miba Zay Mosque in Mandalay and end discriminatory restrictions on Muslim worship and mosque reconstruction. According to BHRN, “Since August 2026, Buddhist nationalist monks linked to the Buddha Dhamma Charity Foundation, formerly known as Ma Ba Tha, have targeted mosques, mosque renovations, and Muslim religious observances in Yangon and Mandalay. Junta officials have subsequently ordered construction work dismantled, demolished renovation work, sealed Muslim prayer spaces, and restricted worship”. BHRN further called on Member States and governments to publicly condemn anti-Muslim incitement and discriminatory restrictions on Muslim worship and document abuses involving military-aligned nationalist networks and junta institutions.

 

HRW: ‘MYANMAR WOMEN POLITICAL PRISONERS TORTURED, ILL TREATED’

 

On 22 September, Human Rights Watch published a new report documenting how the Myanmar military subjects women political prisoners to torture, sexual violence, and life threatening denial of medical care. The report contains interviews of 17 former women political prisoners, 3 family members, and 4 lawyers and advocates. HRW called upon military junta to urgently and unconditionally release all women political prisoners and their children, and concerned governments to impose targeted economic and travel sanctions on senior junta officials demanding such release and an immediate end to torture and other ill-treatment in custody.

 

FORTIFY RIGHTS: NO RED CARPET FOR MYANMAR JUNTA LEADER MIN AUNG HLAING IN CAMBODIA

 

On 9 September, Fortify Rights published a statement urging the Government of Cambodia to cancel the official visit of Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and instead fully comply with its obligations as a member of the International Criminal Court, including executing any lawful ICC request for his arrest and surrender. According to Fortify, “If the ICC has issued a warrant and requested Cambodia’s cooperation, Cambodian authorities should arrest him and surrender him to the Court. If Cambodia is unwilling to fulfill its international obligations, it should cancel the state visit rather than provide legitimacy to a man responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.”

 

GCR2P: ‘THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE AND OTHER ATROCITY CRIMES: BUILDING EFFECTIVE LINKAGES BETWEEN THE WORK OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND ATROCITY PREVENTION EFFORTS’

 

On 8 September, on the margins of the Human Rights Council, the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect and the GCR2P convened a side event, ‘The Prevention of Genocide and Other Atrocity Crimes: Building effective linkages between the work of the Human Rights Council and atrocity prevention efforts’ to explore how the UN human rights system can contribute more effectively to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. The event brought together UN experts and officials to examine how early warning information, human rights monitoring and recommendations, Special Procedures, treaty bodies, investigative mechanisms and accountability processes can help identify emerging risks and translate warning signs into timely preventive action. Watch the full recording here.

‘FORTIFY RIGHTS ADDRESS MYANMAR SITUATION AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’

 

On 8 September, Fortify Rights Senior Director Benedict Rogers addressed the UN Human Rights Council on ongoing atrocities against civilians by the Myanmar military junta, including atrocities against Rohingya committed by the junta and the Arakan Army. He also highlighted the junta’s continued use of indiscriminate airstrikes, including attacks using paramotors and gyrocopters, against civilians across Myanmar and called for accountability.

 

‘ICJ CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF LAWYERS AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN MYANMAR’

 

On 7 September, the International Commission of Jurists and the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute delivered an oral statement at the HRC 63rd session. The statement reminded the council that Myanmar’s junta continues the “widespread practice of arbitrary detention whereby persons are systematically denied access to legal counsel. In such cases, lawyers are often among the first to search for the disappeared persons and challenge arbitrary or unlawful detentions despite facing intimidation, unwarranted surveillance, arbitrary detention and other forms of reprisal.” The statement called upon Member States to “ensure that lawyers, human rights defenders, victims and survivors in Myanmar are able to exercise their rights without intimidation or reprisal” and to ensure “sustained cooperation and technical and financial support is extended to the IIMM and other independent accountability mechanisms for the preservation of avenues to justice.”

 

FORTIFY, HRW, ICJ: ‘FROM DOCUMENTATION TO ACCOUNTABILITY, ENDING IMPUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMES IN MYANMAR’

 

On 7 September, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Chin Human Rights Organisation organised a side event ‘From Documentation to Accountability: Ending Impunity for International Crimes in Myanmar’ to examine how survivor-centred documentation and credible evidence can be translated into investigation, prosecution, civilian protection and accountability for international crimes in Myanmar. Panelists highlighted the extensive documentation of military airstrikes, conflict-related sexual violence, religious persecution, and other grave violations- and the persistent gap between evidence and enforcement even after more than five years after the military coup.

BROUK: ‘UN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR ‘REALITY CHECK’ ON BURMA AS BROUK WARNS ROHINGYA FACE ERASURE’

 

On 7 September, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK President Tun Khin addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as part of an Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He warned that the Rohingya community is being driven towards an increased erasure from their homeland, as the new UN report documents continuing persecution by both the Burmese military and the Arakan Army– making it increasingly difficult for Rohingya to survive in their homeland. Tun Khin called upon the “UK, as penholder on Myanmar, to lead efforts at the Security Council to secure an ICC referral. He also urged states to enforce the 25 international arrest warrants issued through BROUK’s universal jurisdiction case in Argentina”.

 

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘MALAYSIA HALT FORCED RETURNS OF MYANMAR DETAINEES’

 

On 2 September, Fortify Rights called on the Malaysian government to halt plans to forcibly return approximately 1500 Myanmar nationals. On August 27, Malaysia’s Home Ministry had announced that it had finalized the first phase of a program to return 5,000 Myanmar detainees from its immigration detention center to ease the ‘burden’ on the country. Separately, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also declared that Myanmar’s military junta had agreed to accept 5,000 detainees from Malaysia, citing the two governments’ “good bilateral relations”. According to Fortify, “Returning refugees to Myanmar would risk exposing them to torture, persecution, armed conflict, forced recruitment, and other serious rights violations. The government should instead formally recognize their refugee status and guarantee refugees’ lawful stay and basic rights in the country.”

IIMM: ‘NICHOLAS KOUMJIAN, HEAD OF THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIVE MECHANISM FOR MYANMAR DELIVERS STATEMENT AT THE 63RD REGULAR SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’

 

On 7 September, Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, presented its eighth Annual Report and delivered a statement at the Human Rights Council reminding states that the situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate, with serious international crimes being committed with greater frequency and intensity, including an increase in targeted aerial attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and religious buildings, torture in military-run detention facilities, and forced displacement of the Rohingya community. He noted that the IIMM will continue to investigate and collect evidence of serious international crimes being committed in the country, to help national and international authorities bring those responsible to justice. 

 

OHCHR: ‘HIGH COMMISSIONER TURK DEPLORES DEEPENING HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS IN MYANMAR AT THE 63RD REGULAR SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’

 

On 7 September, Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered a statement at the Human Rights Council. He reminded States that the human rights crisis in Myanmar remains a matter of the greatest international concern as millions of people continue to be subjected to widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses. He called upon Member States to prioritize a  human-rights-based engagement and refer the “full situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court through the Security Council, and end transfers to Myanmar of arms, ammunition, jet fuel and dual-use items, where there is a clear risk they could facilitate violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”

 

REUTERS: ‘NORWAY POLICE INVESTIGATE TELENOR OVER SUSPECTED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN MYANMAR’

 

On 15 September, Reuters reported that the Norwegian police were investigating Telenor on suspicion that the telecoms operator had aided and abetted crimes against humanity in Myanmar following the military coup in 2021. The police alleged that “Telenor Myanmar repeatedly handed over historical traffic data about ​customers to the military regime at the same time as the regime was responsible for extensive abuses ​against parts of the civilian population.” The investigation comes after a class-action lawsuit filed by a Swedish non-profit earlier this year alleging that Telenor Myanmar shared call logs and location data of suspected political opponents of the junta leading to the execution of at least one prominent activist. Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for activist group Justice for Myanmar welcomed the decision of the Norwegian police to open investigations into Telenor.

UN NEWS: ‘ROHINGYA REFUGEES DESERVE A FUTURE BEYOND SURVIVAL, NOT ENDLESS DISPLACEMENT’

 

On 23 September, senior UN officials renewed calls for a durable solution that would enable Rohingya refugees to return home safely and with dignity, while ensuring justice and accountability during a high-level event held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the General Assembly. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, reminded participants that nearly “1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh. An entire generation is growing up in exile…Conflicts continue in Myanmar. Conditions for voluntary, safe, and dignified, and sustainable return do not exist at the moment.” The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop lamented that for children born in 2017, displacement now encompasses their entire childhood. UN officials commended Bangladesh for its extraordinary hospitality but cautioned that the international community cannot stand by while the country continues to host the world's largest refugee settlement.

 

‘UNHCR CONCERNED BY RETURNS FROM MALAYSIA TO MYANMAR AMID ONGOING CONFLICT’

 

On 30 September, UNHCR reported that it is “concerned by Malaysia’s recent return of 1,476 people to Myanmar amid the country’s continuing conflict and dire human rights and humanitarian situation”. According to UNHCR, “While authorities say the returns are voluntary, those returned had been held in immigration detention. This raises serious questions about whether decisions to return were genuinely free and informed. UNHCR did not have access to the individuals to assess this.” Until conditions in Myanmar allow for safe, dignified and sustainable returns, States must continue to provide access to asylum and uphold international protection obligations.

 

‘TÜRK DEPLORES DEADLY STRIKES AT BUSY RAKHINE MARKET’

 

On 29 September, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplored military airstrikes that reportedly killed at least 50 people, including vendors, customers, transport workers and other civilians – among them children and women, at a market in Myanmar’s northwestern Rakhine State. In one of the deadliest attacks carried out in Rakhine since the coup of February 2021, the military reportedly hit Kyauktaw township at around midday. According to Turk, ““There can be little doubt as to what awaits many returnees. The conditions are far from safe and sustainable, and it is deeply questionable whether any return in these circumstances can be considered truly voluntary. Instead, other States need to step up and support countries hosting refugees, like Bangladesh and Malaysia, with alternative solutions.”

 

UN EXPERT URGES MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT TO STOP REPATRIATION OF MYANMAR NATIONALS, DEPLORES MYANMAR MILITARY’S LATEST AIRSTRIKES TARGETING CIVILIANS

 

On 1 October, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Kelley E. Currie, urged Malaysian authorities to stop the ongoing repatriation of Myanmar nationals…and work with the United Nations system and others to address the situation of Rohingya and other Myanmar refugees in the country in line with its obligations under international law. Against the backdrop of the ongoing armed conflict in Rakhine State, the Special Rapporteur also strongly condemned another horrific airstrike by the Myanmar military on 28 September on the India Market, a crowded marketplace in Pike Thae village, Kyauktaw Township in Rakhine State.