By Laura McBride, Past Writer
The UN released a 440-page report on Tuesday detailing the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people in support of its calls for criminal proceedings against the perpetrators.
The UN released a 440-page report on Tuesday detailing the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people in support of its calls for criminal proceedings against the perpetrators.
On 25th August 2017, the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, began unspeakable acts of violence toward the group in the state of Rakhine in what they described as ‘clearing operations’, which have led to the killings of at least 10,000 Rohingya, in addition to the torture and rape of countless more. This has caused at least 723,000 Rohingya to flee the country into neighbouring Bangladesh since the start of the mass violence.
The UN High Commission on Refugees attempted to launch an investigation in the country, however were barred from entering Myanmar by government officials. Instead, investigators conducted interviews with 875 witnesses in five countries in order to establish the facts of the atrocities. They have uncovered mass sexual violence toward women and children amongst other horrors committed by the Tatmadaw, which appears to be planned and organised, with the majority of attacks upon civilians.
As a result, the investigators have recommended that the International Criminal Court, or an international criminal tribunal (similar to that of the perpetrators of the Bosnian genocide in the 1990s) in order to prosecute individuals responsible for the atrocities. The report concluded that genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes had occurred against the Rohingya, and also recommended an immediate change to the structure of the army. It added that the assets of those suspected of any of these crimes should be frozen and an arms embargo placed on the country to prevent further violence.
Myanmar’s representative to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, dismissed the report as lacking “impartiality”, and would be used to prevent “peace, national reconciliation and development” of the country.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, has made plans to move thousands of Rohingya refugees out of strained refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and into a remote island in the Bay of Bengal should they be unable to return to Myanmar, having spent £12 million on reinforcements to make the island habitable.
The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority in Myanmar, who live near to its border with Bangladesh. However, despite living in Myanmar, the ethnic group is stateless, having no citizenship and being denied legal identity in the country. This has meant the group have been continually targeted as victims of violence, causing the people to leave in waves since the 1990s.
If you would like to know more about the Rohingya emergency, visit the UN High Commission on Refugees website. The full 440-page report can be found here.
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