UN Human Rights Chief wants Myanmar referral to ICC; Kim Aris rallies support for Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun

UN Human Rights Chief wants Myanmar referral to ICC United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, where he presented a devastating assessment of Burma’s compounding human rights, environmental, and security crisis since the 2021 military coup. Türk warned that the complete collapse of the rule of law has allowed criminal syndicates and illicit extraction networks to flourish, while calling on the international community to halt arms transfers, reject results from the regime’s 2025-26 elections, and enforce human-rights-based benchmarks. In response to this deteriorating situation, Türk urged U.N. member states to formally refer the full situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC), via the U.N. Security Council, while imposing an immediate, comprehensive global embargo on arms, ammunition, jet fuel, and dual-use technologies. Kim Aris rallies support for UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun Jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, is rallying international support behind Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun’s campaign to remain as Burma’s permanent representative to the U.N. on Monday. He called on Burma nationals in the U.S. to join a support rally scheduled to take place outside of the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19. “[Kyaw Moe Tun] has spoken out for the people the military have tried to silence, including my mother, Aung San Suu Kyi, political prisoners, and millions across Burma. Now our voices matter for him,” Aris said in a video message on Sept. 7. A series of rallies for Kyaw Moe Tun to remain UN ambassador are being organized by the diaspora across the U.S. Aris’ endorsement of Kyaw Moe Tun comes ahead of a critical U.N. Credentials Committee decision on whether he will remain accredited or be replaced by a representative from the regime in Naypyidaw, which ousted the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) administration that appointed him to the role in 2020—months before the coup. How Karenni State established ‘bottom-up’ federal governance In an exclusive 2024 interview with DVB, the late Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC) Chairperson Aung San Myint detailed the political blueprint that positioned Karenni State at the forefront of post-coup governance in Burma. By consolidating territory, drafting state constitutions, and establishing state-level citizenship frameworks, Karenni resistance leaders constructed a functioning administration based on “Bottom-Up Federalism.” The Karenni national movement originally fought for separate independence following the outbreak of civil war in 1948. However, in 2001, political leadership formally shifted its strategic objective toward a federal democratic union as the most viable path to resolve long-standing conflict with the state in Burma. News by Region ARAKAN—Retaliatory airstrikes were carried out by the Burma Air Force on four villages under Arakan Army (AA) control in the state capital Sittwe, as well as in Kyaukphyu, Thandwe and Ponnagyun townships on Tuesday. No casualties were reported by either side. A 200-troop regime counteroffensive against the AA along the 14-mile (22 km) road connecting Awataung and Sa Ne villages began on Sept. 4. The villages in Kyaukphyu are located near the China-backed deep sea port project 317 miles (510 km) south of Sittwe. AYEYARWADY—A father and son were killed inside their family home in Lemyethna Township’s Pantawgyi village in Ayeyarwady Region, after it was destroyed by an airstrike carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Saturday. “The attack happened early in the morning,” a resident told DVB. Another three homes were also destroyed. Pantawgyi village is under the control of unidentified resistance forces, according to residents. Lemyethna Township has been severely affected by flooding since the Ngawun Dam collapsed on July 30. SAGAING—At least seven civilians were killed and an unknown number of others were injured by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force on Ye-U Township’s Tint Tein Yan village on Monday. At least 11 vehicles and several homes were also destroyed, according to Ye-U residents. “So far, we have only recovered seven bodies, including one woman and six men. Search efforts are ongoing, including at a nearby pond close to the impact site,” a rescue worker told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Ye-U is located 55 miles (88 km) northeast of the region’s capital Monywa.