ICC should probe Arakan Army’s war crimes against Rohingya: Fortify Rights

Fortify Rights on Wednesday said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should investigate war crimes, including abductions, torture, killings and beheadings of Rohingya civilians committed by the Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic resistance force fighting the Myanmar military junta in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

A new investigation by Fortify Rights documents how the AA, which currently controls much of Rakhine State, has committed serious violations of the laws of war in ad-hoc detention centres and villages 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.

It said, “The International Criminal Court has jurisdiction and should investigate and prosecute perpetrators of serious crimes in Rakhine State, including from the Arakan Army.”

From April to July 2025, Fortify Rights interviewed 39 Rohingya individuals—including eight women—who survived and witnessed AA abuses in 2024 and 2025.

Fortify Rights also viewed and analysed photographic and video evidence of AA crimes.

“The Arakan Army must end its campaign of torture and killings of Rohingya in detention facilities and villages,” said Ejaz Min 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," he added.