Arakan Army executes prisoners of war, human rights groups demand accountability

The Arakan Army (AA) has responded to a disturbing video that surfaced online late last year apparently showing its troops torturing and executing two detainees, presumed to be Myanmar junta soldiers. The footage, which first began circulating on December 25, shows a group of men, some in AA uniforms, cutting the throats of the captives beside a shallow dirt pit. The AA's spokesperson has admitted that the soldiers carrying out the killings were members of the group, but said on Friday that the perpetrators have been disciplined for what he called “an act of revenge.” In the video, the captors can be heard taunting the prisoners, asking them what it felt like to kill Rakhine people. One person filming the scene instructs the armed men.“Ask them to kneel down,” one man can be heard saying in the leaked video. “Anyone of you who likes to kill, can kill them,” another captor said.“Slit them…Wait, cut them one by one.”The release of this video has prompted Fortify Rights, an international human rights organisation, to call upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the incident as a potential war crime.Ejaz Min Khant, Human Rights Associate at Fortify Rights, told Myanmar Now that torturing and summarily executing captured enemy soldiers are war crimes, and those responsible should be prosecuted. The rights group urged the ICC to investigate AA war crimes using powers already conferred by Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG).“The AA and all other armed groups involved in the Myanmar conflict must abide by the international laws of war,” Ejaz Min Khant said.“This video highlights and gives a sense of what could be happening in the battlegrounds. We encourage AA to cooperate with international justice mechanisms to investigate and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.” Fortify Rights has condemned the brutal executions captured in these videos, describing them as part of a broader pattern of war crimes committed by both the AA and the Myanmar military junta.In an interview with Myanmar Now, AA spokesman Khaing Thuka said that the killings were an act of revenge, carried out at a time of heightened emotion during intense fighting for control of a Military Operations Command (MOC) headquarters in northern Rakhine State."The incident in the video happened on February 7, 2024,” he said. “Specifically, it occurred during our offensive against the MOC-9 headquarters in Kyauktaw. That’s when these military discipline violations and crimes were committed.”The two prisoners who were tortured and killed in the video are believed to have been captured in battle. Earlier, on January 16, large numbers of junta troops and their families surrendered to the AA, including dozens who were seen in videos taken at the time raising white flags.Khaing Thuka added that the incident was retaliatory in nature, and that those involved in the incident were investigated and punished."This happened because our local militia members couldn't control their anger when they captured Myanmar soldiers who had unjustly arrested, tortured, and killed AA members’ families, leading them to violate military discipline in an act of revenge,” he said. "So, we have identified and disciplined all involved, including some junior commanders.”This rare admission comes after the AA, previously accused of abuses while battling the junta, has consistently denied human rights violations.Fortify Rights has recorded multiple human rights violations by the AA against the Rohingya in its controlled areas, including a massacre of Rohingya civilians near the Naf River in Maungdaw on August 5, 2024.The AA has seized vast swaths of western Myanmar, including coastal towns on the Bay of Bengal, from the junta's control over the past two years. The group has released footage of hundreds of junta soldiers and senior military commanders captured during the fighting. The Myanmar military’s Brig-Gen Thurein Tun, centre, is seen with a group of captured junta troops in Maungdaw Township on December 8, 2024 (AA Info Desk) Rohingya activists have also accused the AA of war crimes, including using unjustified violence against civilians and making arbitrary arrests in areas under its control.In mid-May of last year, during fighting for control of Buthidaung, thousands of Rohingya residents were displaced by huge fires that spread through much of the town. Many blamed the blazes on arson attacks by AA troops, but the group denied the charge, claiming they were a result of junta airstrikes.Rights groups and geospatial analysts say, however, that satellite imagery of the aftermath of the fires suggested that they were deliberately set.Regarding the latest claim of serious rights abuses, AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha maintained that the group has a strong record of respecting international laws governing the treatment of prisoners. “Don’t forget that we’ve provided medical care and proper food to thousands of POWS,” he said, adding that the recorded incident “completely contradicts our policy.” “We absolutely don't accept such unlawful killings. All perpetrators will be punished. We will ensure this doesn't happen again as we continue fighting,” he said. Than Soe Naing, a military and political analyst, told Myanmar Now that such brutal incidents sometimes occur in times of war. "Military code requires proper understanding of POW policies through education and guidance,” he said. “But war is difficult. Sometimes situations don't allow for careful consideration…When bullets and bombs are exploding and your people are getting wounded, there can be an urge to retaliate.”Late last year, two videos emerged of POWs being beheaded, resulting in internal disciplinary action. The incidents involved a non-NUG armed group in Magway Region and an NUG-affiliated force in Mon State.“The AA admitting responsibility for the incident is a welcome step,” Ejaz Min Khant said. Yet he added that the AA’s justification does not seem entirely accurate, based on the content in the video. “The men in the leaked video appeared to be carrying out an execution order given by a commander,” he said. “We urge transparency and call for the release of more details regarding the punishment. Impunity must end.”Reporting by Raung Ni, Khin Nyein Chan, and Caleb Quinley

Arakan Army executes prisoners of war, human rights groups demand accountability

The AA admits responsibility, but claims the killings were driven by revenge

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