Thread by @astroehlein

What does a brutal regime do when, try as they might, their own security forces just can’t do all the torture and killing on their own?

Well, in #Myanmar, the junta outsources some of it to others...
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Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s junta has brutally suppressed opposition.

Police and military have killed at least 2,300 people, and arbitrarily detained more than 15,700, using torture on many in detention.
aappb.org

It all amounts to crimes against humanity.
hrw.org/news/2021/07/3…

But the torturers and murderers are not all wearing uniforms of the official security services.

Some are in pro-junta militias that emerged shortly after the coup.

The Phyu Saw Htee, a network of intelligence units and military supporters that have received training and weapons from the military, reinforce the military’s security apparatus and have carried out countless attacks on political activists and others.

What’s more, in April, the military announced it would form public militias made up of former military personnel, pro-military civilians, soldiers, and police to combat resistance to the junta.

The Thway Thout Ah-Pwe, or “Blood Comrades” militia, formed soon after and launched “Operation Red,” targeting members of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) party and anti-junta groups.

This militia – in fact, a death squad – is particularly twisted, publicly boasting of their crimes.

They mark their victims by placing lanyards with the group’s logo over their the bodies and then share the graphic photos on social media.

Within a week of forming, they openly claimed to have tortured and killed at least eight NLD members. Since then, they’ve killed dozens.

Of course, none of these groups have faced any consequences for their actions.

They are literally getting away with murder.

If there’s to be any hope of accountability for these crimes by the junta and junta-backed militias, there needs to be strong pressure from outside.

The UK recently drafted a UN Security Council resolution calling for a global arms embargo on Myanmar. That’s one step.

Referring Myanmar to the International Criminal Court is another.

📢 "Outsourcing Atrocities in Myanmar" was the top story in my newsletter today.

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