The Myanmar military regime’s repression of its critics has taken a new sinister twist with civilian quasi-militia groups carrying our torture and murder, human rights groups say.

The NGO Human Rights Watch says that the Myanmar junta has effectively outsourced its repression to the pro-junta militias that emerged shortly after the coup, in February, 2021.

Since the coup, the military government has brutally suppressed opposition. Police and military are reported to have killed at least 2,300 people arbitrarily detained more than 15,700, using torture on many in detention.

And despite recent amnesties, thousands still remain locked up.

In April, the military announced it would form public militias made up of former military personnel, pro-military civilians, soldiers, and police to combat resistance to the junta.

Human Rights Watch reported that the Thway Thout Ah-Pwe, or “Blood Comrades” militia, formed soon after and launched “Operation Red,”  targeting members of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) party and anti-junta groups.

Within a week of forming, they claimed to have tortured and killed at least eight NLD members.

The militias mark their victims by placing lanyards with the group’s logo over the bodies and then sharing graphic images on social media, earning themselves the label “death squads.”

In the following months the militias have killed dozens of people. In October, they reportedly killed another 11 NLD members and supporters in Mandalay.

Junta authorities have denied any association with them, but have taken no action to stop them either. Similar pro-junta armed groups have claimed responsibility for killings elsewhere in the country.

Social media posts on platforms such as Telegram suggest that these pro-junta militias have a direct affiliation with the military.

The groups frequently share propaganda and calls for violence against anti-junta groups and there is evidence that the military may own, control, and sponsor some of these channels, rights groups say.

None of these groups have faced any consequences for their actions.

HRW and other groups have called for strong international pressure to force accountability for crimes committed by the junta and junta-backed militias.

The UK recently drafted a Security Council resolution calling for a global arms embargo on Myanmar. Other groups have called for Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

The Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw, seized control of the country in February 2021 deposing democratically elected members of the ruling party the NLD.

A violent crackdown on protestors and dissenters followed the coup along with the arrest of 400 elected politicians, including democracy activist and Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi.