Human rights group Fortify Rights has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Arakan Army (AA) for alleged war crimes against Rohingya civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, including abductions, torture, killings, and beheadings.
In a new investigation released Wednesday, Fortify Rights claimed that the AA has committed “serious violations of the laws of war” in villages and detention facilities under its control.
“The Arakan Army is responsible for widespread abductions, brutal torture, and the murder of Rohingya, some of whom were found beheaded, in blatant violation of the laws of war,” said Ejaz Min Khant, Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights.
“The International Criminal Court has jurisdiction and should investigate and prosecute perpetrators of serious crimes in Rakhine State, including from the Arakan Army,” Khant added.
Between April and July 2025, Fortify Rights interviewed 39 Rohingya survivors and witnesses — including eight women — and reviewed photographs and videos of alleged abuses.
The report includes graphic accounts of civilians being forcibly taken by AA fighters, some of whom were later found dead with visible signs of torture.
In one case, a man named “Ahmed” recounted how his brother was abducted by armed AA members in March 2025 during Ramadan and later found decapitated in a forest near their home.
“My brother and our family were fasting,” Ahmed said. “There were 10–15 AA armed members wearing uniforms. They had long guns. I saw them take my brother. My entire family witnessed them take my brother from the house …. I saw them forcibly grab him.”
“We found him on the ground. He was packed inside an empty sack of rice. … His head was fully detached from his body.”
In another incident, five Rohingya men abducted in April 2024 were later found dead in a fish pond, four of them beheaded. “They were beheaded, stabbed, and had other injuries,” a witness told Fortify Rights. The account matched an earlier UN report that documented the same case.
Survivors also described prolonged abuse in detention. One man, “Abdullah,” said he was beaten with bamboo, wire, and wooden sticks. “They beat me more brutally than the other three [detainees],” he said. “They put a cloth in my mouth so that I couldn’t shout. My mouth and nose were bleeding heavily.”
Another detainee, “Shofiq,” said he was kept in shackles for months and witnessed AA members remove at least five dead bodies from detention cells. “They took a two-foot bamboo stick and began beating me on my back, groin and thighs,” he said, adding that his interrogators wore uniforms with the “Arakan Army” insignia.
In response to a letter from Fortify Rights seeking comment, the Arakan Army issued a statement on July 20 rejecting the allegations as “false and defamatory.”
“These fabricated narratives, created with political motives, employ underhanded tactics to exploit human rights issues for the political gain of a few racist and Islamic extremist individuals,” the AA said.
Fortify Rights said it has repeatedly documented AA-perpetrated atrocities, including a massacre near the Naf River and arson attacks in Rohingya villages in 2024. In January this year, the AA admitted to torturing and summarily executing two prisoners of war — a war crime under international law.
The group urged the ICC to expand its investigation, which already covers crimes committed during the Rohingya genocide of 2016–2017, to include abuses by the AA.
“The Arakan Army must end its campaign of torture and killings of Rohingya in detention facilities and villages,” said Khant. “If the Arakan Army wants to be seen as a legitimate revolutionary armed force, it must respect international law, protect civilians, and be held accountable for the atrocities it has committed.”
