Amnesty International Calls on Indonesia to Prosecute or Extradite Myanmar’s Junta Leader

As members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to discuss Myanmar's governance crisis at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday, Amnesty International is calling on the 10-member regional bloc to prioritize protecting human rights and preventing the situation from deteriorating into a human rights and humanitarian crisis.

Amnesty is also urging Indonesia, as the host nation, and other ASEAN member states to investigate Myanmar’s coup leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who is expected to attend the summit “on credible allegations of responsibility for crimes against humanity in Myanmar,” the right group said in a statement Friday. “As a state party to the UN Convention Against Torture, Indonesia has a legal obligation to prosecute or extradite a suspected perpetrator on its territory,” the statement said. “The Myanmar crisis triggered by the military presents ASEAN with the biggest test in its history. The bloc’s usual commitment to non-interference is a non-starter: this is not an internal matter for Myanmar but a major human rights and humanitarian crisis which is impacting the entire region and beyond,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research Emerlynne Gil said.