Bi-weekly Update on the Current Situation in Myanmar (01-08-2025 to 15-08-2025)

Bi-weekly Update on the Current Situation in Myanmar

(01-08-2025 to 15-08-2025)

Over (54) months ago, on 1 February 2021, the military junta attempted an illegal coup, toppled the elected civilian government, and unlawfully detained State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other senior members of the civilian government, parliamentarians and activists. Since then, the military junta has ignored the will of the people of Myanmar, placed the country in turmoil, and made people suffer tremendously as a result of its inhumane and disproportionate acts.

As of 15 August 2025, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the military has ruthlessly killed 7,066 people and arrested another 29,549 people. 22,308 people remain in detention and 168 people have been sentenced to death, including 119 post-coup death row prisoners and 44 in absentia since 1 February 2021, when the military unleashed systematic and targeted attacks and violence against innocent civilians. Four democracy activists who were sentenced to death were executed by the military junta in July 2022.

Moreover, over 3.5 million people are being displaced. Over 20 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Among them, over 10.4 million are women and girls, and over 6.3 million are children. 112,485 houses were burned down throughout Myanmar since the illegal coup until the end of December 2024, according to the report of 27 February 2025 by Data for Myanmar.

According to the UNDP, 49.7 % of the population in Myanmar was living under the national poverty line in 2023. Again, its report in June 2025 revealed that even in Myanmar’s commercial hub, Yangon, nearly half of the city’s population lives in poverty, and the economic collapse, displacement, and inadequate services are pushing more families into poverty every day.

Moreover, due to the complete dismantle of rule of law by the junta, transnational organized crimes including online scam, drug and human trafficking are rising across the country and generating security implication to the region and beyond.

Unfortunately, the suffering of the people has been compounded by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which struck Myanmar on 28 March. Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region and Nay Pyi Taw were among the hardest hits. Due to the earthquake, almost 4,200 people killed, over 3,680 people injured. Over 3.2 million people were affected. Infrastructures as well as houses and religious facilities were severely destroyed.

Amidst such people suffering, the military junta has continued carrying out of atrocities, aerial and artillery attacks across the country.

According to the data collected by AAPP, from August 1 to 15, 2025, the junta killed (31) people in total across the country; (14) women and (17) men, including (7) children under the age of 18. These are the numbers that have been verified. Among the deaths, Mandalay Region records the highest number of fatalities, totalling (14), followed by (8) in Kachin State. Among the (31) deceased, (12) people were killed by the junta’s artillery strikes, marking the highest cause of death, followed by (8) who were killed by the junta’s gunfire. During the stated period, AAPP has also received information regarding the death of (85) civilians, as a result of the junta’s attacks, whose identities have yet to be confirmed.

War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Mass Murders Committed by the Military Junta

Junta Kills Over 750 Civilians in Three-Month Post-Earthquake Assault

More than 750 civilians were killed and over 1,400 injured in military junta attacks between 28 March, the day a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck, and the end of June, according to the August report entitled "Amidst Aerial and Ground Attacks, the Lives of Innocent Victims" by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica. During this three-month period, the military junta carried out more than 1,000 targeted assaults on civilians, including airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground incursions.

The quake-hit regions of Mandalay, Sagaing, and Bago (East) were among the worst affected. Mandalay recorded 98 civilian deaths and over 200 injuries, Sagaing saw 218 killed and more than 400 injured, whilst in Bago (East) 38 people were killed and over 70 injured. The report stated that despite the urgent need for reconstruction, the junta has continued and even intensified its airstrikes and operations targeting civilians.

Data from Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica shows a sharp escalation in aerial assaults after the earthquake. From 1 January to 27 March, the junta carried out 346 airstrikes in 101 townships. In the three months following the quake, that number surged to 536 airstrikes across 98 townships. In this post-earthquake period alone, airstrikes killed 437 civilians and injured 1,072, with the highest casualties reported in Sagaing, Mandalay, Rakhine, Karen, Magway, Bago (East), and Karenni. The report asserted that the military junta of exploiting the disaster to bolster political legitimacy, strengthen ties with foreign governments, and intensify its crackdown on resistance forces. It also alleges that humanitarian aid from international donors was diverted to support junta operations instead of reaching earthquake-affected communities.

Junta Forces Kill Nine Civilians, Including Child, in Hpakant Shelling

At least nine civilians, including a three-year-old child, were killed and 28 others injured in the first week of August in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, amid ongoing military junta offensives and indiscriminate shelling, according to Mizzima.

At around 9 pm on 7 August, an artillery shell fired from Hpakant's strategic hill struck the Kachin Baptist Church on Seikmu village's Sutaung hill, where displaced people were taking shelter. The blast killed a woman named Daw Bwum Sam and injured five others. One local resident stated that the shell hit an area sheltering displaced civilians, where no fighting was taking place.

On 3 August, an artillery shell landed in Shayawkha village, killing a 21-year-old man and injuring two others. That same day, four people were injured when another shell hit Sankywe village. Among them was 88-year-old Daw Nyo Sein, who died from her injuries on 5 August. On 4 August, an artillery shell struck Myauk Phyu village, killing a three-year-old child and a 35-year-old man, and injuring five others. On 5 August, a mortar shell hit Yuma village, killing Ko Aipee, 17-year-old Ma Shwe Thazin Win and Maung Phyo. Thirteen others were injured, with Ma Ni Ni Win dying from her injuries the following day.

The military junta imposed a blockade on Hpakant on 18 July, restricting essential goods including medicine, rice, and cooking oil, driving up prices. These systematic attacks on civilian areas and displaced persons demonstrate the military junta's continued violations of international humanitarian law and its deliberate targeting of civilians.

Junta Aircraft Kill Six Civilians in Deliberate Attack on Trapped Vehicles in Sagaing

At least six civilians were killed and more than 20 injured when military junta fighter jets repeatedly bombed passenger vehicles trapped by junta columns in Sagaing Township on 11 August, local medias reported. The attack occurred at around 2 pm near the 14-mile junction between Taung Yin and Padu villages along the Sagaing–Shwe Bo inter-district road.

Witnesses said the road had been blocked, leaving multiple vehicles from Mandalay stranded before they came under assault from five junta aircraft. A local familiar with the incident said that the road was blocked, trapping many vehicles. Then the junta's fighter jets bombed them. Many people were killed or injured. Some victims were decapitated inside their vehicles, whilst others were found underneath of them.

The airstrikes also destroyed four vehicles and set fire to a roadside restaurant and a betel nut shop near the intersection. Locals confirmed that six people were killed and more than 20 others injured. Relief efforts for the victims have been completed, but residents remain concerned about the presence of junta troops in the area.

On 12 August, a junta column from the Sagaing-based Light Infantry Division 33 was advancing towards Sakyin Town, whilst another column near Wetlet and Sagaing townships reached Ywar Sint Kai (North) Village and remained active, according to a commander from a Wetlet-based resistance group. The commander stated that there is still a risk that the vehicles in that area could be burned again because they are currently trapped between two junta columns. Since July, the military junta has been carrying out operations to advance towards villages along the Ayeyarwady River near Sagaing and Wetlet, triggering frequent clashes with local resistance forces. This deliberate targeting of civilian vehicles demonstrates the military junta's systematic violations of international humanitarian law and its use of indiscriminate attacks against non-combatants in Myanmar.

Junta Warplanes Kill 21 Civilians, Including Pregnant Women, in Mogok Bombing

At least 21 people, including three pregnant women, were killed on 14 August when military junta warplanes bombed eastern Mogok, a ruby-mining town in Mandalay Region, according to Myanmar Now.

The attack, which struck a residential area near a monastery around 8:30 pm, killed at least 16 women and five men and left five others wounded. A local source stated that nine bodies were found last night (14 August) and ten more this morning (15 August). Two of the five injured also died this morning, bringing the total death toll to 21. A pregnant woman was with her family and attendants when a bomb struck the area before a doctor could reach her. A man from Mogok who went to the bombing site told that one of the pregnant women was about to give birth when the bomb struck.

He added that some of the bodies have been recovered, but others were torn into pieces and have not yet been fully retrieved. The bomb struck a hillside near a monastery in eastern Mogok, an area largely inhabited by civilians. Sources added that the hillside is difficult to access and home only to civilians. Search teams recovered six bodies within 20 minutes of the attack and another five the following morning, whilst seven people remain unaccounted for.

Human Rights Abuses  

Junta's Systematic Healthcare Denial Causes Over 1,800 Deaths in Custody Since Coup 

Human rights organisations have expressed grave concern over reports of an increasing number of deaths in custody in Myanmar, with over 1,800 people reportedly dying whilst being detained by the military junta since the 2021 coup, according to a joint public statement issued on 5 August 2025.

The statement, signed by 15 international and local human rights organisations including Amnesty International and the Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar, reports that many deaths are owing to systematic denial of healthcare in prisons and untreated injuries sustained during abusive interrogations following arrest. The organisations documented several recent deaths in July 2025, including Ma Wutt Yee Aung, a 26-year-old student activist who died in Insein Prison in Yangon on or around 19 July 2025. The Dagon University Students Union expressed concern that her death may have resulted from head injuries she sustained during interrogations and prison staff denial of adequate treatment despite her family's requests for hospital treatment outside the prison. On the same day, 44-year-old Ko Pyae Sone Aung, a National League for Democracy representative from Mon State's Belin Township, died in Thaton Prison after being violently beaten. According to the Human Rights Foundation of Monland, Ko Pyae and four others were beaten with batons and kicked in the stomach. Sources were also concerned that his death resulted from junta staff denial of proper medical treatment for his hypertension, diabetes and clogged arteries.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated in a September 2024 report that at least 1,853 people have died in custody since the 2021 coup. Based on monitor data, over 70 people have died in custody between January and July 2025 alone, with at least 59 reportedly dying when weakened structures collapsed in Obo Prison in Mandalay Region after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country in March 2025. The 2024 OHCHR report describes torture and other ill-treatment in junta custody as pervasive, particularly in interrogation centres and compounds, as well as in prisons including the notorious Tharyarwaddy Prison in Bago Region. Practices include physical and psychological abuse, including sexual abuse, carried out by junta staff seeking to obtain confessions or information on other people allegedly affiliated with anti-military groups.

The Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar noted that at least 190 political prisoners have died due to abusive interrogation, other ill-treatment or denial of access to adequate healthcare since 2021 and until July 2025. Despite extensive documentation of these practices by various domestic and international groups, not one junta member has been known to have been made accountable for these deaths and abuses inside prisons. The organisations reiterated calls for the military junta to end torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, and to urgently work towards improving conditions inside detention places to bring these into line with international standards. They demanded that detainees be allowed timely and adequate access to healthcare and medical treatment, including being allowed to visit hospitals outside prisons.

This systematic denial of healthcare and torture of detainees demonstrates the military junta's flagrant violations of international human rights law and its use of detention facilities as instruments of persecution in Myanmar.

Civilian Tortured and Killed by Junta Forces in Sittwe Custody

Mizzima reported that a 45-year-old casual labourer from Lanmadaw (South) Ward in Sittwe Township has died after being beaten and tortured during the military junta custody, following his arrest on allegations of membership in the Arakan Army (AA). The victim, identified as U Su Laing, earned his living through odd jobs such as driving trishaws and fishing. A person close to him said that he was detained on 9 August and that the junta informed his family of his death on 12 August.

The source stated that he died of internal injuries. The junta accused him of travelling to AA-controlled areas. The source questioned whether a 45-year-old man could realistically have joined the AA, suggesting it might have been a setup. He had no ties to the AA. On 9 August, junta troops and police came calling his name and took him away in a vehicle. On 12 August, they told his family he had died. They did not return the body but told the family they could come and bury him if they wished. He was buried at a cemetery in Sittwe. Before his arrest, he was healthy and had no illnesses.

Local residents reported that several others in Sittwe have recently been arrested on similar accusations of AA links, with their whereabouts still unknown. Since 2024, the military junta has regularly conducted nighttime raids and arbitrary arrests across the town's wards, sometimes led personally by the commander of the Sittwe Regional Military Operations Command. Door-to-door guest list inspections, including at monasteries and relief camps, have been reported, with those deemed suspicious taken into custody. Meanwhile, the junta's artillery regiment in Sittwe Township is firing almost daily at AA-controlled areas along the township's borders.

This incident highlights the military junta's continued violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law through arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings of civilians in Myanmar.

Junta Rearrests NLD Youth Leader at Prison Gate After Completing Sentence

Ma Moe San Su Kyi, a National League for Democracy (NLD) Central Youth Leader, was rearrested at Thayarwady Prison under Section 52-A of the Counter-Terrorism Law on 7 August, despite completing her sentence, according to the Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar (PPNM). Ma Moe San Su Kyi was scheduled to be released on 7 August after serving over four years in detention. However, she was rearrested at the prison gate under new charges.

PPNM reported that Ma Moe San Su Kyi was initially arrested on 9 May 2021 in Hledan Township, Yangon, and sentenced to six years in Insein Prison under Sections 505-A and 17(1). On 9 June 2023, she was transferred from Insein Prison to Thayarwady Prison. Ma Moe San Su Kyi is the daughter of Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, who is currently detained in Insein Prison after being unjustly sentenced by the junta.

PPNM stated that the military junta is deliberately rearresting political prisoners who have completed their sentences by filing various charges against them at the prison gate. The organisation has documented that there are now 74 individuals, including Ma Moe San Su Kyi, who have been rearrested under this practice.

This systematic policy of rearresting political prisoners demonstrates the military junta's continued violations of international human rights law and its arbitrary detention practices in Myanmar.

Junta Starves Political Prisoners as Malnutrition Crisis Deepens in Myanmar Prisons

Families of inmates across Myanmar say prisoners are facing worsening malnutrition due to drastic cuts in daily meat portions and weekly egg rations, leaving many physically weakened and at risk of serious illness, Mizzima reported.  Under Myanmar's Prison Law, each prisoner is entitled to at least seven ticals (around 114 grams) of meat per day. But former inmates recently released from various prisons report that the amount has dropped to just three ticals (about 49 grams) a day.

In 2021, shortly after the military coup, prisoners reportedly received five to seven eggs per week. That number has now fallen to just one and a half to two eggs weekly. Ko Thaik Htun Oo, head of the Political Prisoners' Network – Myanmar (PPNM), told that since the coup, meals have become noticeably less nutritious. The portions of meat are smaller than they used to be, especially after prices rose. The lack of proper nutrition is weakening prisoners' immune systems and increasing numbers of deaths in custody are being recorded. Prisoners who are denied family visits are among the most vulnerable, relying solely on prison food. Many are falling ill due to a lack of essential nutrients.

A woman recently released from Insein Prison said that since May, prisoners have only received one and a half eggs and just a handful of rice. The bean soup is so watery it resembles rice-rinsing water. The food is often contaminated with flies and worms. Some families can no longer afford to send food to their relatives in prison. According to former inmates, prison staff have been treating malnourished prisoners and those with low blood pressure using expired stimulants and oral rehydration salts. Meals often consist of tough rice and watery lentils, with meat served sparingly as little as three pieces under two inches in size per week.

U Htun Kyi of the Former Political Prisoners' Society (FPPS) believes the shortages are intentional and aimed at breaking political prisoners' morale, with junta staff citing budget constraints as an excuse. He told Mizzima that they claim it is due to the budget. But when he was in Myingyan Prison from 1992 to 2002, they fed prisoners rice mixed with rice hull or iron filings. The soup was thin and sometimes had cockroaches. Hundreds of political prisoners died of malnutrition back then. They are pushing political prisoners to the edge, breaking them mentally and physically. Many former prisoners are still suffering from secondary illnesses caused by years of inadequate nutrition.

The prolonged lack of nutritious food has left many prisoners so weak that a growing number have lost function in their lower limbs. According to a 19 May PPNM report, up to 15 per cent of inmates in Myingyan Prison are now suffering from such debilitating conditions.

The above-mentioned treatments in junta prisons violate core human rights standards. The right to adequate food and health, recognized not only under the UDHR but also as customary international law, is being breached through severe malnutrition and medical neglect. The prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, a jus cogens norm, is also violated as deliberate starvation and contaminated food are being used against prisoners, particularly political detainees. The Mandela Rules reinforce these obligations by requiring adequate nutrition, clean water, and proper medical care, all of which are being disregarded by junta prison authorities. Furthermore, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions requires humane treatment of all persons deprived of liberty. Denying prisoners adequate food, clean water, and medical treatment constitutes an outrage upon personal dignity and may qualify as a war crime if the deprivation is deliberate.

Public Resistance Movements

Revolutionary Youth Stage Umbrella Strike in Yangon to Mark 37th Anniversary of 8888 Uprising

Despite heavy security and repression in Yangon, revolutionary youth staged an umbrella strike on 8 August to mark the 37th anniversary of the historic 8888 Uprising. The demonstration was held in key locations across the city, including in front of Yangon City Hall, Yangon University, and Kandawgyi Lake. Youth participants carried umbrellas bearing the number 8 and the slogan "Rebellion and Resistance" as a symbol of defiance.

In a statement, the Yangon People's Strike group said the action commemorates the struggle for democracy from the 8888 Uprising to the present-day Spring Revolution. It condemned successive military juntas for brutally suppressing the people and causing countless deaths. The revolutionary youth declared that the fascist military dictatorship, which is killing and annihilating the people as if they were enemies to maintain its grip on power, must be rooted out. The strike was organised by the Yangon People's Strike, Yangon Revolutionary Four Brothers, and local residents, who were undeterred by the junta's tightened security measures across the city.

Solidarity events under the global umbrella strike movement are also being held by Myanmar communities and supporters abroad on 8 August. To mark the anniversary, the embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden released statements expressing support for the people of Myanmar in their ongoing struggle for democracy and peace.

The National Unity Government (NUG) stated that the Spring Revolution is a time when all allied ethnic revolutionary forces must unite and fight the final battle, focusing only on the will of the people, to completely eliminate the military dictatorship and all forms of authoritarianism. On 8 August 1988, a nationwide pro-democracy uprising erupted in Myanmar as millions rose against military rule. The movement became a defining moment in the country's political history, remembered as a powerful symbol of the people's aspiration for justice and dignity.

Though brutally suppressed by the junta, the spirit of the 8888 Uprising lives on. When the military again seized power in February 2021, the echoes of 1988 returned louder, more unified, and more determined than ever as people from cities to rural areas rose once again to demand freedom. This peaceful demonstration demonstrates the continued resistance of Myanmar's people against the military junta's violations of international human rights law and their unwavering commitment to democratic principles.

Activities of the National Unity Government

NUG Leaders Visit Controlled Territories to Strengthen Revolutionary Governance

National Unity Government (NUG) officials led by Acting President Duwa Lashi La recently visited NUG-controlled territories to meet with local communities and revolutionary police forces.

During the visit, the officials engaged closely with security, administrative, and tax collection teams on the ground. The purpose was to build trust, strengthen leadership, and develop systematic governance mechanisms that support the success of the revolution. The delegation also reviewed challenges and difficulties arising within the controlled areas and consulted with frontline revolutionary police forces to find solutions. The meetings aimed to boost the morale and capacity of those serving the revolution on the ground and to ensure cohesive and effective management moving forward.

This visit demonstrates the National Unity Government's efforts to establish legitimate governance structures in territories liberated from military junta control, strengthening the democratic resistance movement's administrative capacity across Myanmar.

NUG Acting President Says Peaceful Future Only Possible After Junta Removal

The emergence of a peaceful and just future Union of Myanmar is only possible after the military junta is removed from power, National Unity Government (NUG) Acting President Duwa Lashi La said during a cabinet meeting on 31 July.

He emphasised that this vision of a democratic and equitable future reflects the will of the people and can only be achieved by ending both the political and military dominance of the current junta. In order to build such a future, reforms will be necessary in certain areas, he said, adding that the revolutionary forces must continue to stand firmly on the side of truth, acting with selflessness and a deep belief in their role as nation-builders for all communities in Myanmar.

The Acting President called on all members of the revolution to stay committed to the people's cause and remain steadfast in shaping a just and inclusive new Union. This statement reinforces the National Unity Government's position that genuine democratic transition in Myanmar requires the complete removal of military junta control and the establishment of civilian governance based on the will of the people.

Myanmar Ambassador Delivers Statement on Maritime Security Challenges at UN Security Council

Myanmar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, delivered a statement on 11 August at the UN Security Council's high-level open debate on "Maritime Security: Prevention, Innovation and International Cooperation to Address Emerging Challenges."

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun stated that the collapse of rule of law and political institutions following the 2021 illegal military coup attempt in Myanmar has created conditions conducive for the expansion of transnational criminal activities through overland corridors and maritime channels.

The ambassador highlighted that the military junta and its affiliated Border Guard Forces are breeding safe havens for criminal syndicates by providing security for them and facilitating their illicit economies, including online scams, human and drug trafficking. Ambassador emphasised that these spillover effects of the junta's atrocities, the lack of rule of law, economic collapse, poverty, displacement, and the rise of transnational organized crimes including online scams, drug and human trafficking in Myanmar are negatively impacting regional and international peace and security as well as maritime security.

The ambassador pointed out that the lack of timely action by the Security Council and the international community is contributing to prolonging the conflict. He stressed that with every passing day of no action, more civilians are being killed and more young people are losing their future. He highlighted that trust cannot be built without listening to the aspirations of the people and youth, reconciliation cannot occur without addressing transitional justice, and inclusive elections cannot be held without releasing arbitrarily detained political leaders and prisoners.

He concluded that it is crystal clear that the planned sham election of the military junta will further exacerbate the already volatile situation in the country, and appealed to the international community to support the people of Myanmar in their resolution to end the military dictatorship and build a federal democratic union.

Response of the International Community

UN Investigators Examine Myanmar Air Force Command Structure for Civilian Bombing Accountability

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) is examining the structure and chain of command of the Myanmar Air Force to identify those responsible for military junta airstrikes that have killed and injured civilians, according to a report released on 12 August. The report states that the IIMM has intensified its investigation into aerial bombings that have struck schools, homes, hospitals, and other civilian areas. It is gathering evidence to determine whether these attacks targeted legitimate military objectives or were deliberately directed at civilians.

Among the incidents under review are airstrikes on internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, schools, religious buildings, and health facilities in Karenni State — attacks that reportedly occurred in areas with no identifiable military targets, causing high civilian casualties. The IIMM is also investigating the junta's supply chains for weapons and equipment used in the bombings, in addition to the air force's command structure, in order to pinpoint those responsible. Evidence collected indicates that fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and paramotors have been used in strikes resulting in significant civilian deaths.

The mechanism is further looking into allegations that the military junta has employed chemical weapons. Beyond air operations, the IIMM's latest findings highlight progress in documenting torture in interrogation facilities, arbitrary detention of civilians accused of being informants, sexual violence, and crimes related to the Rohingya. According to the report, the conclusions are based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including testimony from over 600 eyewitnesses as well as photographs, videos, audio recordings, documents, maps, satellite imagery, social media content, and forensic evidence.

This investigation represents a significant step towards establishing accountability for the military junta's systematic violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed against civilian populations in Myanmar.

UN Investigators Document Systematic Torture in Military Junta Detention Facilities

UN investigators said that they have recorded systematic torture in Myanmar's military-run detention facilities including beatings, electric shocks and gang rape. A report by the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said it had identified serious abuses during interrogations and in detention facilities.

It is learnt that a junta spokesman could not be reached for comment on the allegations laid out in an IIMM annual report released on 12 August drawing on testimony from nearly 600 eyewitnesses. It said there had been systematic commission of torture including sexual slavery, the burning of sexual body parts with cigarettes or burned objects, and fingernails being pulled out with pliers. It also found evidence indicating that children ranging from two to 17 years of age who have been detained, often as proxies for their parents. The report added that some of the detained children have been subjected to torture, ill-treatment or sexual and gender-based crimes.

IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian said that the organization had seen a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities but had made headway in identifying the perpetrators. He added that they are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has already requested an arrest warrant for junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted and jailed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. That warrant request relates to alleged atrocities committed by the junta against Myanmar's Rohingya minority in 2017.

WFP Warns of Spiralling Hunger Crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine State

The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a statement on 12 August calling for urgent humanitarian support in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where a critical combination of conflict, blockades, and funding cuts has led to a dramatic surge in hunger and malnutrition.

In central Rakhine, the number of families not able to afford to meet basic food needs has reached 57 per cent, up from 33 per cent in December 2024. While these findings suggest alarming levels of food insecurity, indicating a worsening of the acute malnutrition situation in central Rakhine, it is expected that the situation in northern Rakhine is much worse due to active conflict and access issues. Reports from WFP's Community Feedback Mechanism reveal an alarming rise in distress signals. Families are being forced to take desperate measures to survive: rising debt, begging, domestic violence, school drop-outs, social tensions, and even human trafficking.

Michael Dunford, WFP Representative and Country Director in Myanmar, stated that people are trapped in a vicious cycle; cut off by conflict, stripped of livelihoods, and left with no humanitarian safety net. The organization is hearing heartbreaking stories of children crying from hunger and mothers skipping meals. Families are doing everything they can, but they cannot survive this alone. The hunger crisis is being driven by prolonged conflict, severe movement restrictions, soaring food prices and the reduction of support due to a significant decrease in humanitarian funding. In April 2025, WFP was forced to cut lifesaving support to over one million people across Myanmar, due to funding shortfalls.

Despite dwindling resources, WFP is working to resume limited lifesaving support in the worst-hit areas. WFP is urgently calling on the international community to step up with increased humanitarian funding, and for those on the ground to allow unimpeded humanitarian access. WFP requires USD 30 million to assist 270,000 people in Rakhine for the next six months.

Dunford warned that without urgent action, this crisis will spiral into a full-blown disaster. The world must not look away. This humanitarian crisis highlights the devastating impact of the military junta's violations of international humanitarian law, which continue to exacerbate civilian suffering through conflict-induced displacement and restrictions on humanitarian access in Myanmar.

Independent Press Council Condemns Junta's Media Suppression Laws as Tools of Oppression

The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) has strongly condemned the junta’s controlled Myanmar Press Council (MPC) and the military junta for its recent illegal enactment of cyber security law, and its illegal law on safeguarding general elections from sabotage – calling them tools to suppress media freedom and public expression. In a statement released last week, the IPCM pointed out that the junta-controlled MPC of serving solely to advance the interests of the junta, rather than protect journalistic freedom or support media workers. The IPCM stated that the MPC, which functions under the junta's State Security and Peace Commission, exists not to represent the media but to whitewash the junta's agenda.

According to the IPCM, the military junta is using the MPC as a propaganda tool to convince neighbouring countries, international press organizations, and foreign media councils that its planned elections will be free and fair despite widespread repression. IPCM Chairperson Nan Phaw Gay said that since the coup, news outlets have been forcibly shut down, journalists have been arrested, tortured, and even killed. The junta-backed MPC has remained silent through it all. From its inaction, it is clear where it stands, who it serves, and whether it can truly claim to represent a free press.

The council also criticised Section 6 of the junta's illegal Law on Protection of the Multi-Party Democracy General Elections from Sabotage, saying it severely threatens freedom of expression and the right to peacefully express dissent. Nan Phaw Gay stated that violations of Section 6 are punishable by fines, prison terms, or even the death penalty. It criminalises speech and creates an environment of fear that directly threatens public safety and the fundamental rights of citizens. In addition, the IPCM condemned the junta's illegal Cyber Security Law, enacted on 30 July, describing it as a legal weapon that infringes on digital rights, increases surveillance of political opponents, and gives the junta wider powers to censor journalists and ethnic media.

The council further noted that, despite the junta's recent declaration that the state of emergency has ended, it continues to erode rights protected under the 2017 Law on the Protection of Privacy and Personal Security of Citizens, passed under the National League for Democracy government. Arbitrary arrests and interrogations are still occurring, the IPCM said. The IPCM consists of 40 independent media outlets, journalists, legal experts, and media professionals. It was formed to promote press freedom, protect access to information, uphold ethical journalism, and support the development of an independent media landscape in Myanmar.

This systematic suppression of media freedom and criminalisation of free expression demonstrates the military junta's continued violations of international human rights law and its efforts to silence independent journalism in Myanmar.    

Japan Expresses Concerns Over Myanmar Junta's Sham Elections

As military junta in Myanmar lifted its state of emergency on 31 July 2025 and announced elections for December, Japan's Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi issued a statement expressing concerns about the dangerous context in which these elections are being orchestrated.

The junta's planned December 2025 election is not a step toward democracy but a calculated attempt to manufacture legitimacy for continued authoritarian rule. Since seizing power in February 2021, the junta has systematically dismantled Myanmar's democratic institutions, banned major opposition parties including the National League for Democracy, and imprisoned leaders like Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta has illegally enacted brutal new electoral laws imposing prison sentences up to ten years or even the death penalty for anyone deemed to be obstructing the electoral process. This includes basic activities like criticizing the election, organizing resistance, or sharing information online. More than 29,000 people have been arrested since the coup, with over 6,900 confirmed killed by junta forces.

By switching to proportional representation and maintaining the military's guaranteed 25 per cent of parliamentary seats, the junta can maintain control even with a minority of votes. New electoral laws ban anyone with criminal convictions including virtually all opposition leaders from participating. The junta has dissolved 40 opposition parties, ensuring that only military-friendly candidates can compete.

International election monitoring organizations have unanimously condemned these elections as a sham designed to legitimize an illegal junta. The UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar has warned that the junta is seeking to turn back the clock and destroy advancements in human rights.

Japan's statement calling for the release of political prisoners and restoration of democracy represents a principled position that refuses to legitimize the junta's actions.

International IDEA Calls for Global Rejection of Myanmar Junta's Planned Elections

International IDEA issued a statement on 12 August calling on the global community to reject support for Myanmar's planned elections, emphasising aid for its democracy movement and urging diplomatic efforts to avoid normalising relations with the military junta. International IDEA expressed grave concern over recent decisions taken by the military junta to dissolve the State Administration Council (SAC) and appoint a so-called State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) as an interim government in Myanmar, paving the way for the junta's illegitimate election plan.

On 31 July 2025, the junta declared an end to its unconstitutional state of emergency, which had been extended seven times since the February 2021 coup. Power was handed over to the illegitimate SSPC as a new interim government that is almost identical to the SAC.

International IDEA stated that these developments are not genuine reforms but a strategic repackaging of military rule to give a semblance of democratic legitimacy ahead of the junta's planned elections in December 2025 and January 2026. The elections will not be a genuine democratic exercise but are a calculated attempt to undermine Myanmar's legitimate interim government institutions, including the interim parliament, the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw composed of MPs elected in 2020, and the broader democracy movement, which continue their efforts to design a future democratic union under the Federal Democracy Charter.

To further deter resistance to the planned elections, the junta has declared illegally a new Law on the Prevention of Disruption and Interference with Elections, which imposes harsh penalties including the death penalty. The junta also issued a so-called new cybersecurity law to criminalise the use of VPNs and penalise users who access banned social media sites or share information from them, granting the junta uncontrolled power to conduct online surveillance and arrest critics. These draconian laws contradict international human rights standards.

International IDEA stated that together, these measures are designed to suppress dissent, prevent meaningful political participation, and continue the junta's campaign of human rights violations against Myanmar's people. International IDEA called on the international community to reject and withhold any technical, material or political support for the junta's planned elections, reaffirm and provide technical and financial support to Myanmar's democracy movement, support inclusive dialogue and the ongoing transitional constitution-making process, increase diplomatic efforts to prevent normalisation of relations with the military junta, and adopt a "do no harm" approach to all engagements on Myanmar.

The organization commended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for its recent efforts to foster dialogue among anti-junta groups and for considering establishing a permanent mandate for the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar. It also welcomed Japan's statement of 1 August expressing support for genuine democracy in Myanmar, including the implementation of ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus.

Civil Society Groups Demand Removal of Junta-Controlled Rights Commission

On 7 August, the CSO Working Group on Independent National Human Rights Institution (Burma/Myanmar) and the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) urged the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum (SEANF) to immediately remove the junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission from its network.

In May 2025, the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) officially removed the MNHRC from its regional human rights network, following the removal of its accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in December 2024.

Since the 2021 coup, the military junta has killed more than 7,000 people, torched more than 110,000 homes, and conducted more than 5,000 airstrikes targeting civilians. The MNHRC has been an accessory to these crimes, serving as a smokescreen for the junta by echoing false narratives and lending false legitimacy to human rights abusers.

Khin Ohmar, Chairperson of Progressive Voice, said the APF's decision demonstrates the network is finally willing to take a principled stance. This proxy institution of the military junta is irreparable. All regional networks must cease engagement with the MNHRC to avoid complicity in junta crimes.

Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA, called on international bodies, particularly ASEAN and SEANF, to take immediate steps towards disengaging with the discredited MNHRC to preserve credibility and public trust. Bo Bo, Executive Director of Generation Wave, said the APF's decision must push SEANF to uphold the same principles and remove the MNHRC without further delay.

This push for institutional accountability demonstrates the international community's growing recognition of the military junta's systematic violations of human rights and the need to isolate its proxy institutions in Myanmar.

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Date: 15 August 2025

Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations, New York