U.N. investigator warns Myanmar violence is expanding, cites funding shortfalls at evidence unit

Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, told reporters in New York that the situation in Myanmar is worsening and that his office is sharing evidence with multiple international processes, including the International Criminal Court and proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

Koumjian spoke after presenting the mechanism's annual report to the U.N. Third Committee. He said the mechanism was established by the Human Rights Council and endorsed by the General Assembly to collect and preserve evidence of the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar so that national or international courts can pursue prosecutions.

"What we reported, same as the others, is that the situation in Myanmar, unfortunately, is only getting worse," Koumjian said. He described the mechanism's origins in the 2017 crisis that forced more than three-quarters of a million Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh and said the 2021 military coup has greatly expanded the scope of crimes the mechanism must investigate.

Koumjian said his office has shared evidence with several ongoing processes, including an investigation in a federal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the International…