UK-funded task force to investigate Myanmar human rights violations News
hanodedfonts / Pixabay
UK-funded task force to investigate Myanmar human rights violations

A new United Kingdom-funded task force was formed Monday to investigate human rights violations in Myanmar that have occurred since Myanmar’s February coup.

The project, called Myanmar Witness, was created “to independently collect, preserve, process, verify, investigate and review incidents of possible interferences with human rights.” The initiative is funded through the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 

The project accepts media from anyone, including journalists and media organizations, through a submissions form and independently verifies data. It is meant to be a resource for journalists “seeking to investigate possible interferences of human rights.”

Myanmar Witness said that it would share information with the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, which was created in 2018 to collect evidence of international law violations and crimes.

Many countries and groups have condemned the violence in Myanmar. In June, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned of intensifying violence across Kayah State, Chin State and Kachin State in Myanmar. In late June, the UN General Assembly called for a stop to the flow of arms into Myanmar. The US has imposed sanctions on individuals connected with the military regime in Myanmar. The European Commission and EU also have imposed sanctions.