'ACTS OF GENOCIDE' SUSPECTED AGAINST ROHINGYA IN MYANMAR: U.N.
Photographs of the grave site. Experts identified human remains including part of a spinal column and ribs |
The United Nations human
rights chief said on Wednesday he strongly suspected that “acts of genocide”
may have taken place against Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine
state since August.
His comments come as
Myanmar’s military published a lengthy response to widespread allegations over
its campaign in Rakhine and said its investigations had cleared troops of
almost all alleged abuses.
Zeid Ra’ad
al-Hussein said in a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council that reports of
bulldozing of alleged mass graves showed a “deliberate attempt by the
authorities to destroy evidence of potential international crimes, including
possible crimes against humanity.”
The United Nations
defines genocide as acts meant to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or
religious group in whole or in part. Such a designation is rare under
international law, but has been used in contexts including Bosnia, Sudan and an
Islamic State campaign against the Yazidi communities in Iraq and Syria.
Zeid said last
December that Myanmar’s security forces may be guilty of committing genocide..
“This Council is
aware that my office has strong suspicions that acts of genocide may have taken
place in Rakhine State since August,” he said, noting that his office said on
Tuesday that it believes ethnic cleansing is still underway in Rakhine.
Nearly 700,000
Rohingya have fled Rakhine into Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a
security crackdown in August, joining 200,000 refugees from a previous exodus.
Rohingya are still
fleeing because of “systematic” if lower-intensity persecution and violence
there, Zeid said.
“Victims have
reported killings, rape, torture and abductions by the security forces and
local militia, as well as apparently deliberate attempts to force the Rohingya
to leave the area through starvation, with officials blocking their access to
crops and food supplies,” he said.
The True News
Information Team said in a Facebook post containing the army’s position that
the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) armed group had “threatened, coerced
and persuaded other villagers to flee to Bangladesh”.
The post addressed a
letter last month from British lawmakers to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
calling for Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court – which
it said was based on “one-sided accusations” and ignored attacks on civilians by
the ARSA - and a European Union decision to prepare sanctions targeted at
Myanmar generals.
Zeid said his office
had received reports of land inhabited by Rohingya being appropriated and
members of other ethnic groups replacing them.
“A recent announcement
that seven soldiers and three police officers will be brought to justice for
the alleged extra-judicial killing of ten Rohingya men is grossly
insufficient,” he added.
Myanmar’s government
must take steps to provide real accountability for violations and respect the
rights of Rohingya, including to citizenship, Zeid said.
A fact-finding
mission set up by the Council, headed by former Indonesian Attorney-General
Marzuki Darusman, is due to report on Monday on its initial findings based on
interviews with victims and survivors in Bangladesh and other countries.
SOURCE: REUTERS
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