May 2021 to January 2022
Following a bloody coup d’état on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military junta escalated armed conflict and attacks on civilian populations, including in ethnic states, committing mass atrocity crimes with impunity.
This flash report provides evidence of ongoing war crimes in Karenni (Kayah) State. It documents how the Myanmar military murdered, forcibly displaced, and committed other serious human rights and humanitarian violations against civilians between May 2021 to January 2022. These violations occurred in the context of armed conflict between the Myanmar military junta and several ethnic armies and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)—community-led militias established in the aftermath of the coup for self-defense and to resist military rule.
This evidence further demonstrates how the Myanmar military threatens international peace and security and should be subject to a global arms embargo, targeted sanctions, and international criminal investigations and prosecutions.