Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: The Crisis and Human Rights Situation in Myanmar

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Desperate Quest for Legitimacy: The Junta Prepares for Sham Elections
3. Junta Exacerbates Suffering from Devastating Earthquake
4. Escalation of Attacks on Civilians
5. Violence Targeting Rohingya and Rakhine Civilians
6. Deepening Humanitarian Crisis and Cuts in Foreign Aid
7. Situation of Refugees from Myanmar
8. International Action to Isolate the Junta
9. Conclusions and Recommendations

Document Overview

This report is submitted by Thomas H. Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 52/31. It was released in an informal advance version on October 20, 2025. The report systematically assesses the rapidly deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup, particularly between 2024 and 2025. It states that the Myanmar crisis has reached a critical juncture, with the junta's continued systematic violence against civilians, suppression of fundamental freedoms, and blatant disregard for international humanitarian law plunging the country into an unprecedented catastrophe.

The core of the report analyzes the three pillars underpinning the junta's rule and violence: finances, weapons, and legitimacy. First, it details the sham electoral process engineered by the junta to create an illusion of legitimacy, exposing how it has thoroughly extinguished the possibility of free and fair elections by manipulating the legal framework, dissolving opposition parties, imprisoning political leaders (including Aung San Suu Kyi), and suppressing freedom of expression. Second, using the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar in March 2025 as a case study, the report accuses the junta of turning a natural disaster into a humanitarian catastrophe by deliberately obstructing relief efforts, confiscating aid, and intensifying military attacks on civilians, even increasing airstrikes on civilian targets after declaring a humanitarian ceasefire.

In assessing the conduct of all conflict parties, the report not only details severe human rights violations by junta forces, including airstrikes, arson, sexual violence, and forced conscription against civilians, but also notes allegations of killings, torture, forced recruitment, and atrocities against civilians committed by anti-military armed groups, including the People's Defence Forces, the Arakan Army, and Rohingya armed groups. The report specifically focuses on the complex situation in Rakhine State, describing the vortex of violence engulfing Rohingya and Rakhine civilians caught in the crossfire between the junta, the Arakan Army, and Rohingya armed groups, and the resulting refugee flows.

The report further reveals the spiraling humanitarian crisis within Myanmar: over 3.6 million people are displaced, 21.9 million require humanitarian assistance, and 16.7 million face acute food insecurity. The junta's systematic obstruction of aid access, coupled with severe underfunding from the international community, has forced agencies like the World Food Programme to cut assistance to millions, with at least 65 healthcare facilities closed. Simultaneously, the report analyzes the dire situation of Myanmar refugees in neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, and India, including risks of aid cuts, restrictions on movement and livelihood, detention, and refoulement.

Based on this analysis, the report offers sharp criticism of the inadequate international response, noting stalled momentum on sanctions against the junta, the lack of widespread sanctions on key financial institutions like Myanma Economic Bank, and the vast funding gap for the humanitarian response. Consequently, it presents concrete and actionable policy recommendations to Member States, ASEAN, financial institutions, and others, centered on cutting off the junta's sources of funds, weapons, and legitimacy, increasing support for affected populations, and ensuring accountability for crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.

This report is based on first-hand witness testimony collected by the Special Rapporteur, communications with various conflict parties, data from independent monitoring groups (such as ACLED and Myanmar Witness), and assessments by UN agencies. It aims to provide policymakers, researchers, and the international community with the most current and authoritative assessment of the situation in Myanmar and a roadmap for action.