U.S. Congressional Hearing on Myanmar Military’s Human Rights Abuses and Religious Freedom Targeting Christian Minorities was held on the afternoon of February 3, 2025 at the Dirksen House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senate Democrat Chris Van Hollen called on the U.S. government to take action to hold the Burmese military accountable for crimes committed by the military government in Myanmar. The hearing was organized by the Maryland, Chin Nationalities Association Executive Director Zo Tung Hmong explained the reason for the event.
“What we are presenting today is that the military council is violating human rights, and they are destroying our churches, whether Buddhist, Muslim and Christian. They are killing our leaders, and they are putting them in prison. We are presenting that this is a violation of international law, crimes against humanity and war crimes.” Interim National Unity Government (NUG) President Duwal Shila gave the opening remarks with video message. In a video message, Maryland Senate Democrat Chris Van Hollen said that the 2021 coup in Myanmar must not be forgotten, and that accountability must be sought for the military’s crimes against the Rohingya and the Kachin and Chin Christian minorities. He called for the U.S. government and Congress to take action on Myanmar.
“The United States is working with both Republicans and Democrats to redouble our efforts to stop the crimes against humanity being committed in Myanmar. There is work to be done. First, we must hold the country accountable for the abuses. We must support the ongoing investigation by the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM), the ongoing criminal investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Gambian case against Myanmar at the International Criminal Court (ICJ). We must also support the domestic and international civil society organizations that are documenting the abuses and protecting the people. We must make it clear to them that the military is not being ignored.
“Second, we must find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict in Burma and allow the Burmese people to shape their own destiny. Third, we must engage with the People’s Republic of China, which has supported the Burmese military on the international stage. For years, China has prioritized the Belt and Road trade route over the lives of millions of Burmese people and blocked the international community’s intervention. This is unacceptable, and only the United States can accommodate China. To do this, the United States must make Burma a priority for diplomacy.
“The new US administration must fully support the provisions of the BURMA Act, including sanctions on the Burmese military and non-lethal support for the rebel groups. The United States must work with the UN, ASEAN, China, and other high-level Burmese representatives to establish a special monitor for Burma’s democracy. In particular, we must not tolerate the holding of sham elections that legitimize a dictatorship, and we must sanction those who organize fraudulent elections.”
Todd Young, Republican Senator from Indiana Carolyn Nash, Asia Director of Amnesty International USA, and Stephen Schneck, President of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, also spoke. Rev. Dr. Stanley Cung, a pastor who was killed by Burmese military fire in Thantlang, Chin State, Myanmar, and his brother, also gave a personal account of the incident. Rev. Dr. Stanley Cung is the senior pastor of Emmanuel Chin Baptist Church in Wisconsin, USA. The event was moderated by Rev. Dr. Robin Stoops, former assistant general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA, and Virginia Farris, policy advisor of the Chin Baptist Church of Maryland.
The event was also attended by Rev. Dr. Stephen Hre Kio, senior pastor of the Chin Baptist Church of Indiana; Father David Michael de Penha, also known as Maung Maung Tun, pastor of the Kansas State Baptist Church; Sayadaw U Issariya, a Buddhist monk from New York State; Lucky Karim, human rights director of the International Campaign for Rohingya; and Rev. Ah Le, general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Churches of Maryland.
The event was co-sponsored by the Chin Baptist Church of Maryland, American Baptist Churches USA, Burma Advocacy Group, International Campaign for the Rohingya, Jubilee Campaign, Campaign for a New Myanmar, and Boat People SOS. The event, which was attended both online and in person via Zoom, was held at the Dirksen Building, a U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on February 3 at 12:00 noon local time.
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