E.U. Genocide Network Receives Evidence of Myanmar Atrocities

(THE HAGUE, AUGUST 29, 2024)—On August 29, 2024, Fortify Rights and Covington & Burling LLP submitted the more than 200-page redacted universal jurisdiction complaint to the head of the secretariat at the EU Genocide Network. Fortify Rights and 16 individual complainants from Myanmar originally filed the complaint in Germany in January 2023 providing evidence of atrocity crimes committed by the Myanmar military. Unfortunately, in November 2023, the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany declined to initiate an investigation into the complaint despite the weight of evidence and its legal basis to act under the principle of universal jurisdiction. However, Fortify Rights continues to seek avenues for accountability, including by sharing evidence on atrocities with groups like the EU Genocide Network, which the Council of the European Union established in 2002. The mission of the network is to support the investigation and prosecution of atrocity crimes by preventing impunity within its member states. The network provides a platform for member states to exchange operational information and share experience and best practice through biannual meetings.