In January 2023, Fortify Rights and 16 individual complainants from Myanmar filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany under the principle of universal jurisdiction against senior Myanmar military generals and others for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The 215-page complaint and more than 1,000 pages of annexes provided evidence to assist the Office of the Federal Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute those responsible for committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017, as well as crimes against humanity related to the military junta’s coup d’état launched on February 1, 2021.
On October 11, 2023, the Federal Public Prosecutor informed Fortify Rights that it would not be initiating an investigation into the crimes alleged in the complaint. Fortify Rights respects the Federal Public Prosecutor’s decision but also underscores the urgent need for greater accountability for ongoing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Myanmar.