Myanmar expels Timor-Leste envoy over reported war crimes case filed under universal jurisdiction

Myanmar’s military government has ordered Timor-Leste’s top representative to leave the country within a week, following reports that Dili opened a legal case against the junta for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a statement issued on 15 February, 2026, the junta said Timor-Leste’s charge d’affaires had been summoned and informed of the decision. The move follows claims by the Chin Human Rights Organization that Dili had initiated legal proceedings.

The rights group said a senior Timorese prosecutor had been appointed to examine a criminal file it submitted. The complaint alleges war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Myanmar’s military.

According to the organisation, the case includes what it described as “irrefutable evidence” of gang rape, a massacre of ten civilians, the killing of religious officials and an air strike on a hospital.

The complaint was reportedly filed under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows domestic courts to prosecute certain grave international crimes regardless of where they were committed.

Myanmar’s junta described the reported appointment of a prosecutor as a “great disappointment”. It accused Timor-Leste of breaching provisions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations charter, which emphasise sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

The diplomatic row marks the second expulsion of a Timorese diplomat in recent years.

In August 2023, Myanmar expelled Timor-Leste’s top envoy over a meeting with a banned shadow administration formed after the 2021 coup.

Timor-Leste became ASEAN’s 11th member in October 2025, deepening its formal ties with regional neighbours.

The current dispute places two ASEAN members at odds amid wider divisions over Myanmar’s political crisis.

Myanmar’s military seized power in February 2021, removing the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering nationwide protests and armed resistance.

Since then, the country has descended into protracted civil conflict, with ethnic armed groups and newly formed resistance forces battling the military across multiple regions.

The junta faces longstanding accusations of human rights violations, particularly against ethnic minority communities. The Chin Human Rights Organization represents members of the Chin ethnic minority, who have reported repeated military operations in their areas.

Myanmar is also defending itself at the International Court of Justice against allegations of genocide against the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority.

In January 2026, ASEAN confirmed it would not recognise Myanmar’s recent military-run elections. The bloc has barred junta representatives from high-level meetings since the coup, citing a lack of progress on a peace plan agreed in 2021.