Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Fortify Rights on Thursday jointly decried the Myanmar military junta’s widespread repression and rights abuses since claiming power in its 2021 coup. 

The groups stated that the surge of rights violations is characterized by war crimes and crimes against humanity, which have escalated over the past year as the junta seeks to entrench its rule through abusive military operations and stage-managed elections. 

According to human rights reports, since the coup, the junta, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has systematically dismantled the rule of law and the country’s nascent democratic systems. The nation has seen widespread and systematic abuses against the population, such as arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, as well as sexual violence in prisons. Additionally, intensified violence was documented in the lead-up to the election, as the military sought to suppress dissent.

“It’s no accident that this election has been made possible through increased human rights abuses, from arbitrary detention to unlawful attacks on civilians, which has been the military’s modus operandi for decades,” Ejaz Min Khant, a human rights specialist at Fortify Rights, said.

The junta has reportedly intensified its already brutal campaign against opposition areas, including regions that shelter displaced people.

Rights groups argued that Myanmar’s coup has been built on years of failed accountability, as well as insufficient international efforts to end its violations, which remain limited to atrocities prior to the coup. The International Criminal Court is yet to issue an order on an Office of the Prosecutor arrest warrant request for Min Aung Hlaing, filed in November 2024.