Over 100 British lawmakers have signed a petition calling on UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to support a referral of Myanmar’s commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to the International Criminal Court to be prosecuted for “large-scale human rights violations” against the Rohingya.
The letter, sent to Johnson by Labour MP Rushanara Ali yesterday, outlines allegations that Myanmar troops killed and raped thousands of Rohingya civilians during “security operations” that have displaced more than 688,000 people from Myanmar.
Today I’ve sent a letter to the Foreign Secretary signed by over 100 Parliamentarians calling for an ICC referral for Myanmar’s military general Min Aung Hlaing. There must be accountability for the horrific crimes committed against the Rohingya people. pic.twitter.com/lo5sEPBCUn
— Rushanara Ali (@rushanaraali) February 21, 2018
The operations have been described by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Hussein as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” in which “you cannot rule out the possibility that acts of genocide have been committed.”
The letter also characterizes the Rohingya repatriation plan, arranged in November by the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh, as “problematic as well as premature” because they will place Rohingya returnees in “giant prison camps.”
“The Myanmar military and general Min Aung Hlaing have paid no meaningful price for these ‘security operations,’” the letter reads, arguing that the general’s sense of impunity is emboldening him, allowing him to escalate offensives against ethnic minorities elsewhere in the country.
The signatories call on Johnson to call for an ICC referral for Min Aung Hlaing at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Feb. 26, though it acknowledges that any such referral would likely be blocked in the Security Council by China or Russia.
Nonetheless, the signatories argue, “the more countries can be persuaded to support a referral, the more the sense of impunity with which General Min Aung Hlaing and his military operate will be reduced.”
Ali’s letter also describes the civilian component of the Myanmar government, led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, as “part of the problem.”
“Almost two years after taking power, despite establishing numerous committees, they have taken no actual practical steps to improve the civic rights and humanitarian situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar.”
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been among the most vocal critics of the Myanmar government for its abuses against the Rohingya. Earlier this month, Johnson visited northern Rakhine State to witness the aftermath of Myanmar’s destruction of Rohingya villages. During that visit, he accused State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi of not fully understanding the scale of the destruction.
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