The tightly controlled elections in Myanmar recently concluded with the expected victory of a military-backed party. Therefore, it is all the more remarkable that an organisation representing survivors from the predominantly Christian Chin State is taking the military junta to court to demand accountability for war crimes.
Since the military coup five years ago, Myanmar has been torn apart by a brutal civil war involving the army and various armed groups. The fighting has reached a stalemate in several areas, including northwestern Chin State. This area is predominantly Christian, with 85 to 92% of the population identifying as such.
In January, the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO) filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor), on behalf of survivors from Chin State. The complaint calls for an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their complaint against 10 junta officials, including leader Min Aung Hlaing, has been accepted and will be heard by a Timor-Leste court.
“We can no longer go to our churches because they are also being attacked.”
Criminal violence against civilians
The dossier contains accurately documented and confirmed atrocities, including the gang rape of a pregnant woman, the massacre of ten people (including a child), attacks on churches and the “deliberate killing” of a pastor and three deacons. Salai Za Uk, executive director of CHRO, said in a press release that it shows “a deliberate, systematic, widespread, disproportionate, and indiscriminate campaign of violence against civilians”.
“The legal action taken by the Chin survivors shows that the violence they endured was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader and ongoing pattern of violence by the junta against civilians, including many Christians,” a Myanmar expert told Open Doors.
Since July 2022, the junta has carried out at least 1,000 airstrikes in Chin, destroying thousands of homes and killing hundreds of civilians. Among the 127 religious buildings destroyed were 78 churches, as well as 19 medical buildings and 25 schools.
The situation in Chin mirrors that in other parts of Myanmar. According to sources such as the United Nations, the Myanmar junta has arrested more than 30,000 people, 22,000 of whom are still in detention. Nearly 2,000 people have died in custody, and there have been dozens of well-documented cases of people dying as a result of torture. Furthermore, 172 people have been sentenced to death by courts controlled by the junta.
Prosecution of the junta
In an initial response, Myanmar’s military junta summoned Timor-Leste’s acting chargé d’affaires to protest against the move. The country was also accused of violating the non-interference principle of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, the victims and CHRO filed the case in a Timor-Leste court. ‘The country’s constitution allows for the prosecution of crimes committed in other countries,’ said Salai Za Uk, CHRO’s executive director.
Salai expressed hope for support from the people of Timor-Leste, given that the two countries share a similar modern history, and said that their prayers for justice, peace and dignity for the people of Myanmar would be heard.
The junta has previously been charged with a number of other crimes against humanity relating to the persecution of the Rohingya in international courts.
The situation of Chin Christians
Chin Christians are often at the centre of violence, and their faith makes them even more vulnerable. They live in a predominantly Buddhist country where Buddhism is considered an essential element of national identity.
Air strikes, targeted attacks on churches, murders and abuse of power have devastated individuals’ and entire communities’ lives. Many thousands of Christians are among the 3.5 million internally displaced persons. “We have to leave our homes for our safety. We can no longer go to our churches because they are also being attacked,” says Pastor Mun*.
Myanmar is ranked 14th on the Open Doors World Watch List. The organisation’s research department has reported continued attacks on churches in Chin State over the past year. The department also noted an increase in fighting across the country in the run-up to the elections, as the military sought to increase its influence. This led to a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis.
Pray for Myanmar
- Pray for the courageous people denouncing the junta. Ask God to deliver justice.
- Pray for comfort, safety and restoration for the many affected, wounded and grieving, and for the 3.5 million people who have fled.
- Pray for peace in Myanmar, a country that has experienced so much violence in recent years.
- Pray that the leaders of the military junta will be touched by God and strive for peace, safety and justice for all ethnic groups in Myanmar.
- Ask God to forgive all the crimes committed by people against each other and that they will receive His power to forgive each other.
