Myanmar army reveals massacre of civilians: "They said perform the last rites."

 BBC News 

We begged them not to do that.They didn't care.He told the women,"If your husband is among them, perform the last rites.A BBC investigation has revealed that Myanmar's military carried out a massacre of civilians in July that resulted in 40 deaths. According to eyewitnesses and survivors,Myanmar military personnel, some of whom are said to be up to 17 years old, separated the men from the villagers after arresting them and killing them.

Photos and videos of the incidents received by the BBC suggest that all of them were tortured before being killed and later buried in graves.

The massacre, which took place in July this year, was not an incident but four incidents in Kani Township, Sagaing District, which is considered a stronghold of Myanmar's anti-government organization.

Myanmar's military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's democratic government in February this year and has since faced opposition from its citizens.

We were told to perform the last rites' "

The BBC spoke to 11 eyewitnesses to the massacre in Kani and compared their testimony to mobile phone footage and photos of the incidents, which were reported by a British NGO investigating human rights abuses. Myanmar Witnesses have collected.

According to the BBC's investigation, the largest of these incidents took place in the village of Yen, where at least 14 people were killed after being tortured and their bodies dumped in the jungle.

Eyewitnesses from Yen Village, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that military personnel first tied the arrested men with ropes and then tortured them.

A woman whose brother, nephew and brother-in-law were killed during the incident told the BBC: "We couldn't see the scene so we just bowed our heads and cried."

The woman said, We begged the society not to do that. They didn't care. He told the women, If your husband is among them, perform the last rites."

'Hours of torture before murder'

A man who escaped unharmed during the massacre in Yin village said that the soldiers brutally tortured him for hours before the killing.

"They were tied up with ropes and tortured all day with stones and rifle butts."

According to the man, "some of the military personnel were very young. Maybe 17-18 years old. But there were also some very middle-aged people. There was a woman with him.

Twelve tortured bodies were recovered from a grave in late July in the village of Zi Bin Don, near Yin Village. Among them were a minor and a disabled person. Something could not be identified.

The body of a 60-year-old man tied to a berry tree was also found nearby. Signs of violence are evident in the video footage of the body.

The man's family said his son and grandson had managed to escape when the army arrived, but he remained in the village, thinking he would not be called because of his age.

Collective punishments by the Myanmar army

The killings by Myanmar's military appear to be revenge and collective punishment for the actions of militant groups of civilians in the area who are opposing the military in the name of the People's Defense Force and demanding that the country Democracy must be restored.

Prior to the incidents, clashes between the army and the People's Defense Force had intensified in the area.

There were also public protests against the military operation in Myanmar

Video evidence of the incidents and eyewitnesses make it clear that the military personnel specifically targeted the men. There are many other instances in Myanmar where the army has resorted to collective punishment of men in villages after clashes with the People's Defense Force.

But the families of those killed say they never took part in attacks on the army. The sister of a man killed in the village of Yen told the BBC she had begged the military and said her brother could not even run a slingshot.

The woman said military personnel replied, "Shut up." We are tired We will kill you too. '

Myanmar's military has denied the allegations

The BBC has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating "Similar, baseless allegations concerning Myanmar's intelligence have been made more than once. "It's possible," he said. We have the right to defend ourselves when we are treated as enemies.

It should be noted that since the military coup in Myanmar, international journalists have been banned in the country and almost all non-governmental media groups have been shut down, making ground reporting impossible.

It should be noted that the United Nations is investigating human rights violations by the military junta in Myanmar.