KRIMINAL KAPITALI$M KOREAN STYLE
North Korea has laundered $1 billion in crypto via Tornado Cash - and the US Treasury just slammed the platform with sanctions

prosen@insider.com (Phil Rosen) - Yesterday 


© REUTERS/KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un. REUTERS/KCNA
The US Treasury sanctioned Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency platform used by criminals for obscuring origins of funds.
As of Monday, all US entities or persons are barred from using Tornado Cash.
North Korea cyber-criminals have laundered $1 billion in crypto through this platform, TRM Labs said.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control on Monday sanctioned crypto platform Tornado Cash, which North Korean hackers have used for laundering.

The sanctions prohibit any Americans or American entities from using Tornado Cash. The government alleged the platform had shortcomings that benefited cyber-criminals, who have used Tornado Cash to launder $7 billion in crypto.

"Despite public assurances otherwise, Tornado Cash has repeatedly failed to impose effective controls designed to stop it from laundering funds for malicious cyber actors on a regular basis and without basic measures to address its risks," said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement.

And according to a separate estimate from TRM Labs, North Korea alone has laundered approximately $1 billion in stolen funds through Tornado Cash.

Related video: Americans Banned From Using Crypto-Mixing Service Tornado Cash

Duration 9:28 View on Watch

The digital asset mixer — which is used to obscure the origins of funds and privately transact on the Ethereum blockchain — was involved in the Axie Infinity hack in March, when North Korean cyber-criminal group Lazarus stole $625 million.

"Today's sanctions against Tornado Cash is a watershed moment, not only for the crypto industry, but for financial sanctions writ-large as it targets, as, opposed to prior sanctions, a widely used mixing service and, potentially, answers the question of whether or not US regulators and law enforcement are going to tolerate the use of mixers to launder illicit proceeds," Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, told Insider in emailed comments.

Efforts to reach Tornado Cash for comment were not successful.

Redbord also noted that North Korea in particular is a cash-strapped government with minimal export revenues, so cryptocurrency laundering has a particularly high upside for the nation's bad actors and could be used to fund weapons programs.

In April, Redbord told Insider that North Korean groups have perpetrated many online hacks, but they've grown increasingly sophisticated over time.

"Over the last year or so, we've moved from a post 9/11 world into a new digital battlefield," he said previously. "Nation-state actors know to go after crypto businesses to fund real weapon proliferation. It's not just some hackers trying to fund a lifestyle."

U.S. sanctions virtual currency mixer with ties to North Korean hackers

The U.S. Treasury on Monday sanctioned a virtual currency mixer that it says was used by a North Korean state-sponsored hacking organization to launder stolen funds. 

File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE


Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has sanctioned virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash on accusations of being used to launder billions of dollars of virtual currency, including funds stolen by North Korean hackers.

The U.S. Treasury announced the sanctions against the popular virtual currency mixer on Monday, stating it has been used to launder more than $7 billion for cybercriminals since its founding in 2019.

Of the cryptocurrency the United States said it laundered includes hundreds of millions stolen by the Lazarus Group, a North Korean state-sponsored hacking organization that was responsible for the largest known currency heist of some $620 million in Etherum reported on March 29.

"Despite public assurances otherwise, Tornado Cash has repeatedly failed to impose effective controls designed to stop it from laundering funds for malicious cyberactors on a regular basis and without basic measures to address its risks," Brian Nelson, under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial intelligence, said in a statement.

Virtual currency mixers receive a variety of transactions and mix them together before transmitting them to their individual recipients in order to increase privacy. Such services are popular among cyber criminals in order to launder their ill-gotten proceeds.

The Treasury said Tornado Cash was used by the North Korean hackers to launder more than $455 million of the money they stole in late March as well as about $96 million of the $100 million they stole from the Horizon Bridge crypto transfer service heist in late June and at least $7.8 million they stole early this month from cryptocurrency bridge provider Nomad.

The sanctions announced Monday prohibit U.S. persons from doing business with Tornado Cash.

The cryptocurrency mixer was blacklisted as the United States takes aim at the virtual currency systems that cybercriminals use to hid their illicit dealings.

In early May, the Treasury sanctioned virtual currency mixer Blender.io, which has also been used by the North Korean hackers to launder their stolen funds.

In April, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Treasury issued an alert warning that North Korean cyberattacks on cryptocurrency and blockchain platforms were escalating.

"The United States will not hesitate to use it authorities against malicious cyberactors to expose, disrupt and promote accountability for perpetrators and enablers of criminal activities," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Historic American labor strikes that shocked society
Stars Insider - 3h ago

Historic US labor strikes that shocked society

The first general strike in the United States took place in 1835. This dispute in Philadelphia marked a turning point in early American labor relations. Employees began using strikes as a way of imposing bargaining power against employers while protesting dangerous working conditions, unfair treatment, low wages, and other grievances. Some of these stoppages became notorious for the violence and intimidation directed towards those on the picket line. Others are noted for achieving their goals relatively peacefully. All, though, sent shockwaves through society.

Click through and revisit historic American strikes that helped shape—or dismantle—American labor policy.

1 of 32 Photos in Gallery ©Getty Images

California deputies find 143 caged birds at massive illegal cockfighting ring

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Sheriff’s deputies in California recovered 143 caged roosters, which then had to be euthanized, after officers broke up a large illegal cockfighting event over the weekend. 

Photo by Riverside County Department of Animal Services

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Sheriff's deputies in California recovered 143 caged roosters, which then had to be euthanized, after officers broke up a large illegal cockfighting event over the weekend.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department was called to the event late Friday night in Jurupa Valley, Calif. Officers found around 200 people when they arrived, most of whom quickly scattered once police arrived.

Deputies then found several deceased or severely injured birds at the event.

"They also located an additional 143 caged birds throughout the property," the department said in a statement.

"Deputies remained on-scene until officers from Riverside County Animal Services gathered and humanely euthanized all of the birds."

That process took officers until around 6 a.m. PDT Saturday.

"The birds must be euthanized because Animal Services cannot adopt out such birds as they are valuable and they would almost always end up back in a cockfighting ring. They are not suitable as pets," the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said in a statement.

A person living on the property claimed ownership of all the birds and was cited by animal control officers for possession of fighting blades used in cockfighting events. The investigation remains open.

"Animal Services is likely to seek felony animal cruelty charges be filed with the Riverside County District Attorney's office," the department said in a statement.

Seaweed, giraffes, parrots other critical species becoming endangered, study says


"We are not just risking the loss and damage of these species populations; we are affecting our own health and well-being and that of the next generation," one expert said as part of the U.N. report. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Seaweed, which has survived on Earth in some form for 1.6 billion years, has made the list of threatened species, along with giraffes, parrots and oak trees, according to a United Nations report.

Susan Gardner, ecosystems director at the United Nations Environment Program, said that adding the species to the threatened list is bad news for humans who depend on many endangered species for life.

The report said that dredging, increasing sea temperatures and coastal infrastructure is endangering seaweed, which plays a vital role in marine ecosystems and provides habitats and food for marine lifeforms.

It also said that logging and deforestation for agriculture and firewood have threatened 31% of the world's 430 oak types -- and Giraffes targeted for consumption are suffering from loss of habitation due to unsustainable wood harvesting.

The report said there's only about 600 West African giraffes left in the wild.

"Sustainable use is when biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are maintained while contributing to human well-being," Gardner said in a statement.

"By continuing to use these resources unsustainably, we are not just risking the loss and damage of these species populations; we are affecting our own health and well-being and that of the next generation."

A report last month by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services said about 50,000 wild species benefit billions of people each day through various practices. About one-fifth are harvested directly for human food, it added, and rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use.

"Seventy percent of the world's poor are directly dependent on wild species," Marla Emery, one of the study's authors, said in a statement. "One in five people rely on wild plants, algae and fungi for their food and income.

"From the fish that we eat to medicines, cosmetics, decoration and recreation, wild species' use is much more prevalent than most people realize."

Heaviest rainfall in 80 years leaves at least eight dead in Seoul

1/5  WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING? 

Seoul was inundated with its heaviest rainfall in 80 years on Monday night, flooding parts of the city and leaving at least eight dead. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- At least eight people have died and seven more are missing after the heaviest rainfall in 80 years pounded South Korea, leaving streets, subway stations, vehicles and homes flooded in and around the capital city of Seoul, officials said Tuesday.

Parts of Seoul received almost 18 inches of rain from Monday night through late Tuesday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. In one district, 5.5 inches of rain fell in an hour on Monday, the highest rate since 1942.

Rain has continued to fall Tuesday and the KMA is forecasting up to 12 more inches of precipitation for Seoul and the surrounding areas through Thursday.

Images on social media and in local news Monday night showed major boulevards in the posh commercial district of Gangnam turned into rivers, with vehicles submerged and floating. Water cascaded down staircases and escalators of some subway stations and inundated platforms, while the city's tranquil urban streams turned into raging rapids.

The storms and flooding left five people dead and four missing in Seoul, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported, while three were killed and two are missing in surrounding Gyeonggi Province. One more person was reported missing in neighboring Gangwon Province.

Among those killed in Seoul were three family members -- two sisters in their 40s and a teenage daughter -- who were trapped in a semi-basement apartment. The elder sister had a developmental disability, according to neighbors cited in a report by news agency Yonhap.

The below-ground homes, known as banjiha, are a common dwelling for Seoul's urban poor and were featured in the Academy Award-winning 2019 film Parasite.

RELATED 'Unprecedented' flooding shutters Death Valley National Park

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the apartment on Tuesday and instructed officials to conduct a safety review of housing for the elderly and disabled, his office said.

"The more vulnerable people are, the more vulnerable they are to disasters, and only when they are safe will South Korea be safe," he said.

Other casualties of the record rainfall included a local government worker who was electrocuted while removing a fallen tree in Seoul, while in Gyeonggi Province one person was found dead under the debris of a collapsed bus station and another was buried in a landslide.

Four people were reported missing in the wealthy Seocho district of Seoul, some in an underground mall, while two people were swept away by a flooded stream in Gyeonggi.

Several others were reported injured and 391 people were left homeless and had to take shelter in public facilities.

The downpour caused power outages and impacted roads and public transportation around the region. Eight railroad lines reported flooding and subway services were temporarily suspended in some areas.

Yoon led an emergency meeting earlier on Tuesday and called for an overhaul of measures in order to respond to extreme weather caused by climate change.

"The government must review the current disaster management system from square one, given that abnormal weather caused by climate change is becoming a part of everyday life," he said, according to Yonhap.

The president, whose popularity has plummeted to 24% in a Gallup Korea survey released last week, faced criticism on social media for working from home rather than the national emergency headquarters during the early hours of the flood overnight on Monday.

Yoon, who was inaugurated in May, moved the presidential office from the traditional Blue House to a building near the former Yongsan Garrison and commutes from his apartment in Seocho, which was one of Seoul's most heavily flooded areas on Monday

Opposition lawmaker Rep. Ko Min-jung, who was the spokeswoman for former President Moon Jae-in, criticized Yoon's absence in a Facebook post Tuesday, saying the president was "nowhere to be seen" and was stuck working over the phone "in an isolated house due to heavy rain."

Issey Miyake: Japanese fashion designer dies aged 84

He created wrinkle-free fashion and world-renowned perfumes, in addition to dressing Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Innovation was a cornerstone of Issey Miyake's designs

Be it menswear or womenswear, Issey Miyake was a shining star in the fashion world in the 1980s. He loved colorful and heavily pleated fabrics, as well as silk.

His collections "Pleats Please" and "A-POC" (A Piece of Cloth) were international sensations. Designed to minimize waste, A-POC garments were produced in machine-made rolls of knit fabric that was pre-sewn or fused with finished patterns. The user could cut the pattern from the roll to create a ready-made customized garment. 

Apple founder Steve Jobs' signature black turtlenecks also came from the House of Miyake; the designer and the computer wizard were close friends.

Applause for the designer in Paris

Inspired by sister's fashion magazines

Issey Miyake was born in Hiroshima on April 22, 1938. As a child, he wanted to become an athlete or a dancer — until his attention was drawn to his sister's fashion magazines. This proved to be a turning point in his life. He studied graphic design in Tokyo and clothing design in Paris, where he worked with famous names in the fashion industry such as Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy.

In 1970, he presented his own first collection in New York. That same year, he founded his Miyake design studio in Tokyo and quickly made a name for himself as one of Asia's most innovative designers. His concept: to produce clothing from a single piece of fabric wherever possible. 

Textile research was his vision

Miyake created not only clothes, but also accessories, jewelry and perfume. Above all, however, he was interested in the nature of fabric. In the late 1980s, he developed a new type of pleating in which fabrics retain their shape. Tested on dancers for their freedom of movement, this led to his signature "Pleats Please" line.

Miyake retired from active business in the late 1990s and devoted himself only to textile research. In 2005, he was honored for his life's work with the Japan Art Association's Praemium Imperiale, a global honor considered the Nobel Prize for the arts. A year later, he received the Kyoto Prize for his "visionary clothing concepts." The prize, established in 1984 by Kazuo Inamori, founder of the Japanese technology corporation Kyocera, is one of the most important awards in the field of science and culture alongside the Nobel Prize.

Miyake's revolutionary fashion

Creating beautiful things

In interviews, Miyake was often asked about the atomic bomb dropped on his hometown of Hiroshima in 1945 when he was seven years old. But he stressed that he did not want to be labeled "the designer who survived."

"I have never chosen to share my memories or thoughts of that day," Miyake wrote in a 2009 commentary for The New York Times. "I have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to put them behind me, preferring to think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy. I gravitated toward the field of clothing design, partly because it is a creative format that is modern and optimistic." 

Issey Miyake died on August 5, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other Japanese media reported that the cause of death was said to be liver cancer.

suc/pg (Reuters, dpa, AFP)

Nagasaki's mayor warns of 'tangible' crisis on nuclear anniversary

The mayor of Nagasaki has highlighted the threat of nuclear war on the anniversary of the atomic bomb strike that flattened the city. He said Russia's invasion of Ukraine showed that peace through deterrence was fragile.

Nagasaki has marked the 77th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack

The southern Japanese city of Nagasaki on Tuesday remembered the victims of the atomic bombing of the city by the US 77 years ago.

The city's mayor, Tomihisa Taue, said current events showed that the only way to safeguard the future of humankind was to eliminate nuclear weapons.

What did Nagasaki's mayor say?

In his speech at the Nagasaki Peace Park, Taue said that while nuclear weapons existed, there was the possibility they would be used.

He pointed out that, in January, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council had pledged in a statement that nuclear war should never be fought.

However, one of the parties, Russia, invaded Ukraine only a month later. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that third party interference would result in "consequences you have never seen," a comment widely interpreted as a potential nuclear threat.

"Threats of using nuclear weapons have been made, sending shivers throughout the globe," Taue said. 

"The use of nuclear weapons is not a 'groundless fear,' but a 'tangible and present crisis,'" he added, saying that a nuclear cataclysm could arise through mistaken judgements, malfunctions or in terror attacks.

Nagasaki was hit by an atomic bomb just days after a first bomb exploded over Hiroshima

The mayor said that instead of starting wars, humanity needed to nurture "a culture of peace that spreads trust, respects others and seeks resolutions through dialogue."

Also speaking at the event was Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"Even though we face a severe security environment, we must pursue the history of non-nuclear use and make Nagasaki the last place of nuclear attack," Kishida said.

Japan has renounced the possession, production or hosting of nuclear weapons, although some lawmakers have proposed the possibility of sharing with the US in a deal that would be similar to the one in Germany.

Need to 'draw on lessons of Nagasaki'

Tuesday's ceremony saw survivors and foreign dignitaries, as well as members of the public, offering silent prayers at 11:02 a.m. (0202 GMT) — the exact moment the bomb was detonated over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

The port city was flattened in an explosion that killed up to 80,000 people — about half on the day of the attack and the rest in the months that followed as a result of burns, radiation sickness and injuries. This was compounded by the effects of disease and malnutrition.

The strike came just three days after the world's first nuclear bomb attack on the city of Hiroshima.

That bombing was even more deadly and claimed some 140,000 lives, including those who died in the aftermath.

The US had been trying out two different types of bomb: Little Boy, detonated over Hiroshima, was filled with uranium; Fat Man, detonated over Nagasaki, was filled with plutonium. The bomb dropped on Nagasaki was actually the more powerful of the two, but it did less damage because of Nagasaki's more uneven terrain.

Japan formally announced its surrender within a week of the attack on Nagasaki, on August 15, 1945. The deal was signed by September 2, ending World War II.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ​gave a speech at a commemoration in Hiroshima on Saturday​ in which he warned that humanity was playing "with a loaded gun" as the potential for nuclear disaster grows.

In a message read aloud in Japanese at Tuesday's ceremony, Guterres warned that "in these times of high tensions and low levels of trust, we should draw on the lessons of Nagasaki."

Nagasaki was bombed in place of the ancient city of Kyoto, which had been removed from the target list partly because the US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, had honeymooned there decades earlier. He had said it was an important cultural center that "must not be bombed."

rc/msh (AFP, AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz takes equal pay demand to football bosses

Germany's chancellor has reiterated his call for the men's and women's national football teams to receive equal pay. While failing to commit to the idea, Germany's FA has expressed a willingness to "discuss" the issue.

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (third from left) led Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right)

 on a tour of the German FA's base

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday took his equal pay demand directly to the German Football Association (DFB) in Frankfurt. Scholz addressed the issue in a statement to reporters following a tour of DFB headquarters.

The question is: "How can we get more girls interested in football? And bonuses are part of that," the 64-year-old chancellor said. "My point of view is well-known. From my point of view, this is something political and different from salary negotiations."

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, who, along with Vice President Celia Sasic and Director Oliver Bierhoff, accompanied Scholz on his tour, expressed a willingness to discuss the issue, although he stopped well short of committing to the principle of equal pay. 

Equal work, equal value?

Neuendorf, who took the helm of the DFB in March, said he understood the argument that "that equal work and success must and should be valued equally. ... I am prepared to discuss in our committees whether our bonus system is still up-to-date or whether it should be adjusted."

The chancellor said he welcomed the fact that the DFB appeared open to making changes on the issue.  

Scholz first took up the cause of equal pay for Germany's men's and women's footballers in a tweet posted during the group stage of this summer's Euros in England.

"It's 2022. Women and men should be paid equally," the chancellor tweeted. "This also applies to sports, especially for national teams."

Scholz reiterated his sentiment on German public television during the halftime break in the final, which Germany lost 2-1 to England in extra time. 

Germany's women each received a bonus payment of €30,000 ($30,700) for finishing second at the summer's tournament. They would have received €60,000 had they won the title. By comparison, the German men would have received bonuses of €400,000 had they won the Euros in 2021.

Call for Bundesliga minimum wage

Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg used a public television appearance over the weekend to praise the chancellor's efforts. 

"But then we also have to do something about it. Not just talk, but also follow up with action," she said. The coach, who has also called for a minimum, livable wage for players in the Bundesliga, also said she believed the current momentum in women's football makes real change possible.

Germany's strong showing in England captivated many of the country's fans

"The European Championship generated a lot of enthusiasm. That's why I'm very proud of the women and hope that it will have a long-lasting effect," the chancellor added.

International issue

The issue of equal pay between the men's and women's national teams has been a bone of contention over the past couple of years. This past May, US Soccer announced that it had reached an agreement to equalize the World Cup prize money awarded to its men's and women's teams.

"This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world," US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said.

A number of other football associations, including those of Finland, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, had previously announced deals to implement equal pay for their men's and women's national teams.

Edited by: Matt Pearson

Germany's Women's World Cup advert: 'We play for a nation that doesn't even know our names'

Uzbekistan team wins Chess Olympiad in Chennai, Ukraine takes women's crown

Uzbekistan's men have won chess' most prestigious international team tournament in Chennai, fending off stiff competition from India's B team and Armenia. Ukraine won the women's event, ahead of Georgia and India.

The 44th Chess Olympiad ran from July 28 to August 10

Uzbekistan has won the 2022 Chess Olympiad in India, dashing the hopes of glory of Armenia and of India's second team, which completed the podium in the open competition. 

The Uzbek team, led by 17-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov, showed that its captain's shock victory earlier this year in the individual World Rapid Championships was no outlier and, indeed, that the entire country is currently laden with young talent: All bar one of Uzbekistan's five players are under 21.

In Tuesday's last round of games, Uzbekistan beat the Netherlands to preserve its spot at the head of the leaderboard. 

The country was among the front-runners based on average player ratings before the tournament, seeded 14th overall. 

Armenia, the 12th seeds, emerged in second place overall.

Nodirbek Yakubboev is a member of the winning Uzbek team

Gukesh and Abdusattarov laying claim to the future

Meanwhile, home nation India had been hoping for glory for most of the competition — albeit from their second-string team, not their highest-rated one. 

India 2, another team made up almost exclusively of teenagers with only one player in his 20s, had been defying expectations from the start on the back of almost perfect performances from 16-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh (better known as Gukesh D). Playing on the top board, and therefore facing the strongest player of each of India 2's opponents, Gukesh won all of his first eight games and then drew the ninth. 

As it transpired, Gukesh's and India 2's 10th set of games, against Uzbekistan, proved decisive. He faced off against Abdusattarov with both countries vying to claim the overall lead. Abdusattarov and Uzbekistan came out on top and held on to the overall lead on Tuesday's final day's play.

Gukesh also won the individual gold as the strongest board 1 player in all the competition, his India 2 teammate Nihal Sarin (aged 18) was the strongest board 2 player among the men.

Like Uzbekistan, India is renowned for its extremely strong generation of emerging teenage grandmasters, who are maturing in the aftermath of Viswanathan Anand's eight years as world champion. Anand took to Twitter to congratulate "the boys" for their bronze medals. 

The three tournament favorites by rating — the US, India's first team and Norway, led by outgoing world champion Magnus Carlsen — all struggled to match the bookmakers' expectations. India rolled in fourth, the US finished fifth overall, and Norway could not manage a top-25 finish.

Ukraine win women's event, Swedish veteran Cramling shines

In the women's competition, the favorites did live up to their billing, just in the wrong order. Second seeds Ukraine took the top prize, ahead of third seeds Georgia, with top seeds and hosts India holding on to a podium position in third. 

Meanwhile, Swedish legend Pia Cramling bucked the trend of a tournament dominated by youth, winning the award as the strongest women's board 1 player aged 59. Cramling played the competition alongside her daughter Anna, on Sweden's board 2. 

The host nation also won an extra award as the best-performing country overall at the entire competition, with its women finishing third, its men's B team coming in third, and its top men's team claiming fourth place. 

WORLD CHESS DAY: WHY AN ANCIENT GAME STILL FASCINATES
Global chess boom
Two years ago, the ancient game, invented around 600 AD, experienced a revival thanks to the 2020 Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" about Beth Harmon, an orphan who becomes an internationally successful chess player. Internet searches for chess rules exploded, while there were reported record sales of chess sets and beginner books.
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Edited by: Natalie Muller

UN team finds escalating evidence of Myanmar junta's crimes

UN investigators have said there is growing evidence of crimes against humanity in Myanmar since last year's military coup. The team said it had compiled documentary evidence of the junta's crackdown on dissent.

Security forces in Myanmar have been engaged in a crackdown against those

 who voice dissent since February 2021

The United Nations' Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) on Tuesday said it had gathered swaths of evidence of human rights violations across Myanmar in the past 18 months.

The junta seized power on February 1 last year, ousting the civilian government and placing de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi under arrest.

The IIMM — established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 to deal with Myanmar's preexisting domestic conflicts — seeks to collect evidence and prepare files for criminal prosecution on acts committed since 2011.

What does the report say?

The latest report includes a look at crimes committed since the coup in early 2021, which it says are on a shocking scale.

"Crimes have been committed in Myanmar on a scale and in a manner that constitutes a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population," it said.

The authors said they had "collected a significant amount of information items, including videos, photographs and documents potentially indicative of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed across Myanmar by various individuals since February 2021."

"The scope of potential international crimes taking place in Myanmar has broadened dramatically," it said.

According to the IIMM, evidence suggests the transgressions included murder, torture, deportation, imprisonment and forcible transfer.

They also included rape and other forms of sexual violence, committed by members of the armed forces against women, children and members of the LGBT+ community.

It said the imposition of death sentences imposed on the basis of secret proceedings — as happened with four democracy activists in July — "could constitute the crime of murder, openly carried out by an organ of government."

Meanwhile, the authors said the information collected was against the backdrop of several armed conflicts on Myanmar's territory that were "ongoing and intensified."

The IIMM promised it would use the evidence to try to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"Perpetrators of these crimes need to know that they cannot continue to act with impunity," IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian said in a statement. "We are collecting and preserving the evidence so that they will one day be held to account."

No progress on justice for Rohingya

The report pointed out that the month of August marks the five-year commemoration of the 2017 clearance operations in Rakhine State, which led to the displacement of nearly 1 million mainly Muslim Rohingya people.

"Tragically for the Rohingya and all the peoples of Myanmar, progress on ending impunity and ensuring accountability for crimes committed remains limited," the authors said.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, who was de facto civilian leader at the time, dismissed much of the criticism of the military as "unsubstantiated narratives," saying refugees may have exaggerated abuses.

The army has justified its power grab — which ended a decade of tentative steps toward democracy — by alleging massive fraud during the 2020 election. The vote saw Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy defeat a military-backed party.

Myanmar has faced turmoil ever since, with fighting across large parts of the country and the economy in freefall.

Edited by: Mark Hallam