The United Nations Security Council should refer Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of Burma’s failure to investigate mass atrocities against ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing a new question-and-answer document. UN member countries should also pursue processes for gathering criminal evidence to advance prosecutions in the ICC and other courts.
Burmese authorities have failed to credibly investigate security force operations since late August 2017 that have resulted in mass arson, killing, rape, and looting, destroying hundreds of villages and forcing more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch field research found that Burmese military abuses amount to crimes against humanity.
“Justice is desperately needed for the Rohingya population targeted by the Burmese military’s campaign of ethnic cleansing,” said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director. “The UN Security Council should refer the situation in Burma to the ICC, which was created precisely to address situations in which grave crimes were committed without consequences.”
