A video showing soldiers of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) hanging a civilian from a tree and torturing him has surfaced on the internet. The armed ethnic group that’s fighting a rival Shan group in southern Shan State has admitted that the video is genuine.

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“We cannot say where and when the incident happened because clashes are still taking place and an investigation is still ongoing,” SSPP spokesperson Maj Phone Harn said when asked by SHAN.

The controversial video showing three soldiers burning the man has been shared on Facebook by the Shan community since 9 May.

The Shan Youth Organization based in Bangkok strongly criticized it and said burning a victim during interrogation is a serious human rights violation.

Phone Harn said people had the right to complain about the incident. The soldiers “couldn’t control their emotions”, he said, and he was “sorry” that this had happened.

“We’ll take action after the investigation. When we arrest the enemy alive during clashes at the frontline, we treat them well and provide them with medical treatment before releasing them.”

He explained the man was given medical care but didn’t say if they released him. However, the SSPP has freed prisoners of war in the past.