Watchdog Calls for ICC Probe of Myanmar Rohingya Crimes

Istanbul, MINA — London-based Amnesty International (AI) has urged the UN Security Council to take Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, Anadolu Agency reported.

In the report published on Wednesday, the human rights watchdog examined “the military’s atrocities, which amount to crimes against humanity under international law”.

The 186-page report titled “Myanmar: We will Destroy Everything: Military Responsibility for crimes against humanity in Rakhine State” names 13 individuals linked to Myanmar military “against whom AI has gathered extensive, credible evidence of direct or command responsibility for crimes against humanity”.

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Andrew Gardner, AI’s senior researcher on Turkey, said the reaction of the international community had been inadequate, so far. “These crimes should be taken to the International Criminal Court and a comprehensive investigation should be launched,” he said.

According to Amnesty International, the highest levels of the military, including Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the defense services, had played a key role in crimes against humanity.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, the organization said, nine of the 11 crimes against humanity listed in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court had been committed in Myanmar.

These crimes are “murder, torture, deportation or forcible transfer, rape and other sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts, such as forced starvation”.

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400 interviews

In order to prepare the report, the organization carried out more than 400 interviews between September 2017 and June 2018, overwhelmingly with survivors and direct witnesses to crimes.

Amnesty International spoke to people “from different ethnic and religious communities from northern Rakhine State, including Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim group; ethnic Rakhine, Mro, Khami, and Thet, all predominantly Buddhist groups; and Hindu”.

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The report also “draws on an extensive analysis of satellite imagery and data; forensic medical examination of injury photographs; authenticated photographic and video material taken by Rohingya in northern Rakhine State; confidential documents, particularly on the Myanmar military’s command structure; and open source investigations and analysis, including of Facebook posts related to the Myanmar military”.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 750,000 refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.

At least 9,400 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24 last year, according to Doctors Without Borders.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world’s most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012. .(T//RS5/RS1);

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)