The National Unity Government (NUG) reported on January 3rd that the Junta had been responsible for a staggering 4,656 human rights violations throughout Myanmar in the year 2023.

The NUG documented 334 instances of human rights violations perpetrated by the Military Council in the Sagaing Region, 98 in the Magway Region, 72 in the Mandalay Region, 29 in the Bago Region, 23 in the Yangon Region, 21 in Chin State, and 17 in the Tanintharyi Region.

there were also 11 cases each in Karen, Karenni, and Shan States, 10 each in Kachin and Rakhine States, 7 in Mon State, 2 in the Ayeyarwady Region, and 1 in the capital, Naypyidaw.

The Military Council perpetrated indiscriminate airstrikes, unprovoked shelling in non-combat zones, arbitrary shootings, and arson, resulting in civilian casualties. In 2023, a distressing total of 1,342 civilians lost their lives due to the actions of the Military Council, with NUG documenting 86 cases of unlawful killings associated with these deaths.

At present, 'Operation 1027,' spearheaded by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, is mounting vigorous offensives against the Military Council. Concurrently in conflict-ridden regions, the Junta troops are deliberately targeting civilians through shelling, airstrikes, and the deliberate burning of villages.

Political analysts emphasize that the actions of the Military Council surpass mere human rights violations and extend to the commission of severe war crimes, and crimes against humanity which are  classified under international law and are actionable by international courts of justice in the Hague in the Netherlands the home of the ICC- The International Criminal Court.. "The Military Council has reached a point where it is unabashedly engaging in war crimes. When one zealously perpetrates acts of cruelty, such as artillery shelling and the deliberate destruction of villages, it transcends the mere yardstick of human rights violations. In fact, the Military Council is actively involved in war crimes and genocides. These actions far exceed the benchmarks of human rights violations”, U Pe Than, a Rakhine politician told DMG.

It has also been reported that the NUG has chosen 165 cases of human rights violations committed by the Military Council in 2023 and forwarded them to the UN’s  Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).

The IIMM has presented these very strong evidence of these war-crimes to the UN’s Human Rights Council and both UN bodies have supported widespread calls to Myanmar’s Junta to be investigated by the ICC and open proceedings.

However so far the ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan KC, has shown no interest in acquiring jurisdiction in the case, in spite of the NUG’s willingness to sign up to the Rome Convention that governs the member states that adhere to the rules of the ICC.

The ICC has taken no notice of the recommendations of the UN Human Rights body for follow -up action and investigation by the ICC, The International Court’s lack of interest in Myanmar ‘s strong case for a war-crimes tribunal and a warrant for the potential warrant for the arrest of the Junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing stands in stark contrast, to the feverish enthusiasm of the ICC chief prosecutor to pursue Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in the Ukraine.

The latter was strong backed and funded by the Western governments which for many suggests double-standards of the ICC that gives priority for accountability for mass atrocities and war crimes to those cases backed by western powers.