Rohingya Conference to be Held in New York Next Week

Ankara, MINA – The Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC) will host an international conference at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City on February 8 and 9.

The two-day conference will be attended by world-renowned scholars, UN envoys, activists and refugees. They will call for accountability and protection for national minorities in Burma, also known as Myanmar, Anadolu Agency reported.

“This is a rare convergence between academics and activists from and with expertise about Burma [Myanmar], with humanitarian actors and of international criminal law practitioners ,” FRC said in a statement.

FRC is a leading global activist group, led by and for Rohingya people, according to the statement.

Rohingya, described by the United Nations as the most persecuted person in the world, have faced increased fear of attacks since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA), reported, since August 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims were killed by Myanmar forces.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, fled Myanmar and crossed into neighboring Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

The UN also documents mass rape, killings including infants and young children, brutal beatings, and disappearances carried out by Myanmar state forces. In its report, UN investigators said such violations were crimes against humanity. (T/Ast/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)