The Myanmar military junta has escalated violence and repression since the February 2021 coup, committing acts that Human Rights Watch (HRW) says constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to HRW’s World Report 2025: Our Annual Review of Human Rights Around the Globe, the junta’s actions have left millions displaced and exacerbated a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The report highlighted the junta’s use of “scorched earth” tactics in response to growing resistance and territorial losses.
Since October 2023, aerial and artillery strikes have increasingly targeted civilians and infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and religious sites.
An airstrike on Jan. 7, 2024, in Sagaing Region killed 17 churchgoers, including nine children. Another airstrike on a school in Karenni State on Feb. 5, 2024, killed four students and injured 27 others.
HRW noted that attacks on displaced persons’ camps have also increased, with eight children and two women killed in a bombing in Shan-Karenni State in September 2024.
Cluster munitions, described as indiscriminate weapons in populated areas, have reportedly been used in several states, while landmine casualties have surged, making Myanmar the world leader in such incidents in 2023, according to HRW.
The report also documented escalating abuses against the Rohingya community. Around 630,000 Rohingya in Rakhine State are subjected to severe restrictions, with 150,000 confined to open-air detention camps.
HRW described conditions in the camps as amounting to apartheid.
Hostilities between junta forces and the Arakan Army have intensified, with civilians caught in the crossfire.
On August 5, 2024, approximately 180 people were reportedly killed by drone strikes and shelling in Maungdaw town. Movement restrictions and aid blockages in Rakhine State have further worsened conditions.
Since the coup, the junta has detained at least 27,500 people, including women and children.
HRW reports widespread use of torture, including sexual violence, electrocution, and deprivation of food and water. More than 1,900 people have reportedly died in custody.
Journalists, activists, and humanitarian workers have been arrested under counterterrorism laws.
In January 2024, documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe was sentenced to life in prison.
HRW noted an increase in arrests for online activity, with over 1,800 detained since 2022 for supporting opposition groups or criticizing the military on social media.
The humanitarian situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate, with more than 3.2 million people displaced since the coup and 18.6 million in need of assistance.
Aid delivery has been hampered by blockages, roadblocks, and telecommunications shutdowns.
HRW documented over 680 incidents of aid obstruction between January and June 2024. In one instance, the junta reportedly blocked the transport of essential supplies in several regions, including Karenni and Shan States.
Efforts to hold Myanmar’s leaders accountable have intensified. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for junta chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the 2017 crackdown on Rohingya.
The International Court of Justice continues to investigate violations under the Genocide Convention.
The findings in HRW’s World Report 2025 underlined the scale of the crisis in Myanmar, detailing the widespread impact of military operations on civilians and the urgent need for international intervention.
The report called for stronger global measures to address the ongoing violence and to ensure accountability for the junta’s actions.
