Karenni women's associations strongly condemn the killing of over 20 civilians, including women, in the clashes in Mobye (Mongpai) Township near the Shan State and Karenni (Kayah) States border, pledging to pursue justice for the perpetrators through an international tribunal.
Since the last week of May until the present, a significant number of civilians have lost their lives as a result of shelling by the Military Council, being fatally shot by soldiers while trapped in their homes, and random shootings targeting pedestrians without any justification.
"Arresting, torturing, and killing civilians is a deeply inhumane act, constituting the gravest war crime against humanity. We vehemently denounce this and refuse to accept it under any circumstances, Mu Angela, the Joint Secretary-2 of the Kayan Women's Organization (KyWO) told Kantarawaddy Times.
Based on the list compiled by KyWO, the number of civilian fatalities in Mobye from April to June exceeds 20, with seven of them being women.
"We, as women's associations, are determined to persistently strive towards the establishment of an international tribunal that can thoroughly investigate and hold the terrorist Military Council accountable for their heinous crimes”, Mu Angela added.
Although the ICC- International Criminal Court is aware of many alleged war-crimes committed
in Myanmar before and after the 2021 coup. However the ICC that has more than 100 investigators only following Russia’s alleged war crimes in the Ukraine, in the case of Myanmar,
there has only been a bland response that “they lack a mandate to start an investigation.”
Mu Angela did not clarify about what kind of international tribunal they were seeking- whether it
would be a UN ICC Tribunal held in The Hague Netherlands, or a tribunal that might be hosted
within the Asia-Pacific region.
KyWO expressed strong condemnation towards the Military Council troops for the rape and murder of two young women, who were trapped in their house in the Sikar No. 2 ward of Mobye Township during the second week of June.
"We have received testimonies from locals regarding this incident, with neighbors reporting hearing the distressing screams and cries of the young women. Witnesses in the vicinity have corroborated the accounts, confirming the rape and murder of the victims”, she said.
The Burmese Women's Union (BWU) has accused the Military Council troops of not only torturing and killing individuals captured in the villages under their control, but also engaging in the heinous acts of rape and murder against women following the coup. Despite the knowledge of these abhorrent crimes committed by the Military Council, significant challenges remain in constructing strong legal cases backed by hard evidence.
Between the last week of May and the third week of June, a total of 28 civilian corpses have been documented in Mobye Township after the Junta’s attack. Efforts are ongoing by legal investigators to accurately identify the deceased. It is probable that additional bodies remain unlisted due to restricted access to the areas affected by the ongoing clashes.
As of June 26th, the situation in Mobye has remained relatively calm for approximately one week; however, a People's Defense Force - Mobye (Mobye-PDF) official warned that the presence of the Military Council in the town could potentially trigger renewed hostilities at any given moment.
