On Thursday, May 21, Refugees International launched a petition to urge U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to call the crimes committed against the Rohingya what they are: genocide. The petition says, ‘As nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh endure the effects of the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the region and brace for the worst after the first case of COVID-19 was just confirmed, one thing is clear: the world must come together to acknowledge that the Rohingya are in this vulnerable situation because they had to flee a genocidal campaign waged against them.
‘Almost three years ago, Myanmar’s soldiers targeted, killed, and raped Rohingya and burned their villages, as the United Nations, Refugees International, the U.S. State Department, and many others have documented.
‘Now, Myanmar has just [one day] until its deadline to report to the International Court of Justice on how it is taking new steps to prevent genocide. Given widespread reports that there is ongoing risk of genocide for the roughly 600,000 Rohingya still in Myanmar, it’s clear the government is not doing enough.
‘The United States has yet to make a determination and publicly declare that the crimes committed against the Rohingya people amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. But this determination could help hold Myanmar accountable for grave abuses and increase international scrutiny to prevent further atrocities. A determination could also help mobilize diplomatic and economic pressure on Myanmar to change its behaviour toward the Rohingya.
‘Now is the time to use the word that fits the crimes. U.S. leadership matters. That’s why we’re calling on Secretary Pompeo to #CallitGenocide.’
