Joint Statement: UN Investigators Confirm ‘Myanmar Genocide of Rohingya’, UNSC must support ICC referral and Urgent International Protection for the Rohingya

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Joint Statement 

August 28, 2018

UN Investigators Confirm ‘Myanmar Genocide of Rohingya’, UNSC must support ICC referral and Urgent International Protection for the Rohingya 

We, the undersigned Rohingya Organisations worldwide welcome the report released yesterday (27 August 2017) by the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) calling on the international community to take action against Myanmar for its genocide against the Rohingya people.

The FFM, consisting of three human rights experts, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, called on Myanmar’s top military generals, including Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in the north of Rakhine State, as well as for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States. It also points out that the civilian authorities, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are implicit in the genocide against Rohingya for contributing to the commission of atrocity crimes through their acts and omissions. 

The report states that the gross human rights violations and abuses committed against Rohingya population for decades “undoubtedly amount to the grave crimes under international law” that establish the genocidal intent. They include the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment; enforced disappearance; torture; rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence; persecution and enslavement, extermination and deportation. 

The Mission reminds that the justice has remained elusive for the victims in Myanmar for decades, and “the impetus for accountability must come from the international community.” But, the international actors are standing idly by the side-lines, failing to act, while genocide is unfolding in Myanmar. How much more evidence the UN and the international community need to act? According to the “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide”, they are under obligation to “prevent and punish” Rohingya genocide right now. 

The report released by the FFM yesterday is a summary version of the full report, which is expected to be presented at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2018.

The FFM’s calls add to a global chorus of voices urging members of the UNSC to refer the situation to the ICC. Since Myanmar is not a party to the Rome Statute, only the UNSC can trigger a comprehensive investigation by the ICC. Justice is crucial to ensuring that the authorities in Myanmar do not feel emboldened to repeat the same crimes again.

Members of the UNSC must act now and immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC and future of the Rohingya as a people depend on it. In this regard, we are anxiously looking forward to seeing a comprehensive resolution at the UNSC meeting today.

Meanwhile, we urge upon the international community to provide international protection to approximately half a million Rohingya population trapped inside Rakhine State, and to empower Genocide survivors taking refuge in Bangladesh. 

Signatories

1. Arakan Rohingya Development Association – Australia (ARDA)

2. Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)

3. British Rohingya Community in UK

4. Burmese Rohingya Association in Queensland-Australia (BRAQA)

5. Burmese Rohingya Association Japan (BRAJ)

6. Burmese Rohingya Community Australia (BRCA)

7. Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark

8. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK)

9. Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organisation

10. Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative

11. European Rohingya Council (ERC)

12. Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (MERHROM)

13. Rohingya Advocacy Network in Japan

14. Rohingya American Society

15. Rohingya Arakanese Refugee Committee

16. Rohingya Association of Canada

17. Rohingya Community in Finland

18. Rohingya Community in Germany

19. Rohingya Community in Norway (RCN)

20. Rohingya Community in Sweden

21. Rohingya Community in Switzerland

22. Rohingya Community Ireland (RCI)

23. Rohingya Organisation Norway

24. Rohingya Society Malaysia (RSM)

25. Rohingya Society Netherlands

26. Swedish Rohingya Association (SRA)

For more information, please contact: 

Tun Khin (Mobile): +44 78 887 14866 

Nay San Lwin (Mobile): +49 69 260 22349 

Ko Ko Linn (Mobile): +880 172 606 8413