UN member states should act to pressure Myanmar to end crimes against humanity

Nov 9, 2020 | FoRB, RM, Statements

We, a global coalition of 88 civil society organizations, urgently call upon UN member states to take immediate steps to address the human rights abuses and humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya population. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein have described the Myanmar security forces’ ongoing campaign against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State as ethnic cleansing. As more evidence emerges, it is clear that the atrocities committed by Myanmar state security forces amount to crimes against humanity. The United Nations and its member states need to take urgent action.

We urge UN delegations, especially those from the 114 countries committed to the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) Code of Conduct, who made a pledge to support “timely and decisive action” to prevent or end the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, to immediately undertake efforts to adopt a resolution in the UN General Assembly addressing the situation, and call upon the UN Security Council to consider measures to be imposed on the Myanmar government.

Over 400,000 Rohingya have fled across the border into Bangladesh since August 25, when Myanmar security forces launched operations in response to coordinated attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Rakhine State. These operations, involving widespread killing, laying of landmines, looting, and arson targeting the Rohingya, have resulted in the mass destruction of more than 200 villages, according to satellite imagery and eyewitness testimony. Tens of thousands of people from other ethnic minorities have also been displaced as a result of the violence.

Strong condemnations by the UN and world leaders have not brought an end to Myanmar’s atrocities. In his opening statement to the Human Rights Council on September 11, al Hussein noted that in 2016 he “warned that the pattern of gross violations of the human rights of the Rohingya suggested a widespread or systematic attack against the community, possibly amounting to crimes against humanity.” Civil society organizations have warned that the campaign of Myanmar’s security forces against the Rohingya since August 25 amounts to crimes against humanity. It is crucial for UN members to take concrete action and place direct pressure on Myanmar’s military and civilian leaders.

The European Union, until recently, was the chief sponsor of an annual resolution on human rights in Myanmar at the General Assembly. Last year, the EU decided to stop the effort even in the midst of government violence against the Rohingya beginning in October 2016. Now, we urge members of the EU to work with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as other concerned states to jointly revive this resolution as a means of pursuing decisive action by the General Assembly in response to the gravity of the ongoing situation in Rakhine State and the evolving human rights and humanitarian crisis.

A General Assembly resolution should demand an immediate end to the abuses, that humanitarian aid agencies have immediate and unhindered access to populations in need, and for the UN Fact-Finding Mission authorized by the Human Rights Council in Geneva to be allowed unfettered access into and within Myanmar to investigate alleged human rights abuses across the country. It should also demand that the Myanmar authorities commit to ensuring that all Rohingya and other refugees and displaced people are able to return to their places of origin safely, voluntarily, and with dignity, and to dismantling the institutional discrimination and segregation of Rohingya and other Muslims in Rakhine State that forms the backdrop to the current crisis. The resolution should also urge member states and the Security Council to explore possible avenues to bring perpetrators of crimes under international law to justice.

We also urge members of the Security Council to add to the pressure on Myanmar authorities by seriously considering options such as an arms embargo against the military and targeted financial sanctions against individuals responsible for crimes and serious abuses.

All concerned UN member states should also consider bilateral, multilateral, and regional actions they can take to place added pressure on the Myanmar government. In particular, we call on all states to immediately suspend military assistance and cooperation with Myanmar.

If governments, UN officials and diplomats simply hold meetings and make speeches as atrocities continue in Myanmar, they bear the risk of failing to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to stop the ethnic cleansing campaign and further crimes against humanity. In the face of mass destruction, killings and hundreds of thousands displaced, inaction should not be an option.

Signatories:

AFL-CIO

American Jewish World Service

Amnesty International

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)

Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN

Asociación Pro Derechos Humano – Peru (APRODEH)

Asylum Access

Avaaz

Burma Campaign UK

Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)

Burma Task Force

Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK

Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Center for Civilians in Conflict

Center for Development of International Law

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Coalition for Justice and Accountability (COJA)

Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP)

Council for Humanitarian Networking of Sheikul Islam Office

CREDO Action

Cross Cultural Foundation (CRCF)

Development and Justice Initiative, India

Equal Rights Trust

Fortify Rights

Foundation for Rural Development (FRD)

Front Mahasiswa

Genocide Watch

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)

Global Progressive Hub

Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF)

Human Rights Now

Human Rights Watch

Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)

Institute for Asian Democracy

Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion

International Campaign for the Rohingya

International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect

International Detention Coalition

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

International Justice Project

International Organization for Victim Assistance

International State Crime Initiative

Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

Jewish Alliance of Concern Over Burma

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

Justice Centre Hong Kong

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Migrant 88

Migrant Working Group (MWG)

Minority Rights Group International

Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies

National Council of Churches

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Odhikar

Pan African Lawyers Union’s (PALU)

Partners Relief & Development

Pemuda Anti Kekerasan Acheh

Persatuan Darul Fitrah Terengganu

Persatuan Ulama Kedah

Physicians for Human Rights

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Progressive Voice Myanmar

PROHAM (Society for the Promotion of Human Rights Malaysia)

Refugees International

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Restless Beings

SANRIM

SHARP-Pakistan

Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak

Society for Threatened Peoples-Germany

STAND Canada

STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities

Suaka Indonesia

Swedish Burma Committee

The Arakan Project

The Episcopal Church

The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights

The Stanley Foundation

Ummatee

Union for Reform Judaism

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

United Nations Association – UK

US Campaign for Burma

Win Without War

World Federalist Movement – Canada

World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy

Yateem TV

APHR: International investigation still needed to address alleged atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

Nov 9, 2020 | FoRB, RM, Statements

JAKARTA, 18 February 2017 — ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) today welcomed reports that the Myanmar military had halted its brutal counterinsurgency campaign in northern Rakhine State, but stressed that an independent inquiry is still needed to investigate alleged atrocities in the context of its operations.

“Declaring an end to the crackdown does not absolve the Myanmar government of its responsibility to protect its people and ensure that they are not subjected to abuse. We’re talking about possible crimes against humanity here. This is not business as usual in ASEAN,” said APHR Chairperson Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament.

On 15 February, Myanmar’s newly-appointed National Security Advisor, Thaung Tun, announced that the Myanmar military had ended its to so-called “clearance operations” in northern Rakhine State, which were launched over four months ago in response to a 9 October attack on police outposts there.

“The regional and international pressure that led to this outcome must be sustained,” Santiago said. “Our job is not done. We must ensure that there is no impunity for rights violations. This task demands a credible, independent investigation—one which Myanmar authorities have thus far demonstrated they are unwilling or unable to carry out.”

A 3 February report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) asserted a high likelihood that crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing were taking place in Rakhine State. Based on interviews with around 200 of the nearly 70,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who fled their homes in Rakhine State since the start of the crackdown, the report documented devastating accounts of killing, torture, and sexual violence.

“The UN’s exhaustive first-hand reporting further corroborates the claims human rights organizations and independent media have been making for months: possible ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. These are serious, credible allegations, and the stakes are enormous. They further confirm the need for a thorough, independent investigation. And international assistance in this process is vital, as the Myanmar government has consistently demonstrated its inability to act alone,” Santiago said.

“The Myanmar government’s repeated denials of rights violations demonstrate that Naypyitaw has no interest in resolving the situation or addressing underlying issues. The fact that security forces have been tasked with investigating themselves and rooting out abusers in their own ranks speaks for itself. There isn’t even a half-hearted attempt at impartiality or independence.”

On 14 February, members of the Myanmar government’s Rakhine Investigation Commission, headed by Vice President and former army general Myint Swe, flatly rejected allegations by the United Nations of grave rights violations. These comments echoed previous statements and reports from the Commission, as well as from other government bodies. In recent days, the military and police have also set up separate teams to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by their own members.

APHR urged regional governments to assume a larger role in pressing Myanmar to address rights concerns. MPs also supported calls for further UN action, including the formation of a commission of inquiry, following the release of the 3 February report.

Parliamentarians called on ASEAN governments to support such an investigation and push for improvements in conditions for Rohingya, arguing that the Myanmar government’s actions in Rakhine State have a direct impact on other member states and the region as a whole.

“ASEAN governments need to work together to resolve this situation before it’s too late. That doesn’t mean playing the usual ASEAN game. It means stepping up and pushing for change,” Santiago said.

“It is disappointing to hear some ASEAN leaders lament the ‘internationalization’ of this issue. This is undeniably a regional issue—not an internal affair—and it demands a regional response.”

Click here to read this statement in Burmese.

Regional MPs join with international rights groups to call for UN investigation into Rakhine State abuses

Nov 9, 2020 | FoRB, RM, Statements

GENEVA — Southeast Asian parliamentarians have lent their support to a public call for the UN Human Rights Council to establish a Commission of Inquiry or similar international mechanism to investigate allegations of serious human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) was one of 13 signatories to a letter sent to permanent representatives of the Council’s member and observer states on Friday, urging them to support such a move.

The letter, which was also signed by regional and international rights groups, follows months of calls by APHR and others for an independent investigation into alleged atrocities in Rakhine State. It reiterates that inquiries launched by the Myanmar government into the conduct of security forces have failed to demonstrate genuine independence and are therefore insufficient to address the situation.

“The Myanmar government has proven itself incapable of properly investigating these allegations. It’s long past time for regional neighbors and the international community to step up,” said APHR Chairperson Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament.

“The possibility of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity must be taken seriously. They represent a black mark on ASEAN’s collective conscience, as well as that of the global community, and demand a rigorous, credible investigation. A Commission of Inquiry would be a step toward accountability and is a must if we are to have any hope of ending impunity for these kinds of violations.”

Since the start of so-called “clearance operations” by security forces in northern Rakhine State in early October, nearly 70,000 refugees — mainly Rohingya Muslims — have fled across the border into Bangladesh. Allegations of torture, extrajudicial killing, sexual violence, and other abuses have been documented, including in a 3 February UN report, which found strong evidence of crimes against humanity and possible ethnic cleansing. The situation has led top UN officials, including Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee and High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, to call for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry.

In today’s letter, APHR and co-signatories argue that there is “no credible or effective alternative to a Commission of Inquiry, or similar international mechanism, to address and begin the process of effectively finding and verifying the truth of what has happened, and ensuring justice and accountability for human rights violations and abuses committed.”

It comes days after the UN Human Rights Council began its 34th session on 27 February and just over two weeks since the Myanmar government declared an official end to military operations in northern Rakhine State.

Out of the ten ASEAN member states, two — Indonesia and the Philippines — are currently members of the UN Human Rights Council. APHR urged those governments, in particular, to support the call.

“These are issues that affect our entire region, and our responses will reflect our regional character,” Santiago said. “It is critical for ASEAN member states to recognize the urgency of this matter and not hide behind false invocations of ‘non-interference.’ Indonesia and the Philippines should be leading the charge in the Human Rights Council to launch this investigation.”

Click here to read the letter.

Click here to read this statement in Burmese.