Joint Statement on Rohingya Genocide Day

Description: 

"Today, 25 August, marks four years since our people fled genocidal attacks by Myanmar security forces in Arakan State also known as Rakhine State, Myanmar in 2017. Today, 25 August, is the fourth Anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day. We mark this day so that all future generations of Rohingya will know what happened to our people. We the undersigned organizations, remember, mourn, and call for accountability for the atrocity crimes committed by the Myanmar security forces including genocide and crimes against humanity. The Myanmar security forces killed, raped, and burned our villages trying to destroy us. The attacks led to the exodus of nearly one million Rohingya to Bangladesh, where we now live in sprawling and overcrowded refugee camps. On 1 February 2021, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Myanmar military overthrew the elected Government of Myanmar in a coup. The military and police have since killed more than 1,000 men, women, and children- p rimarily peaceful protesters- a nd imprisoned several thousand others for opposing the junta's rule. The junta that controls the country is the same military junta that led genocidal attacks against our people and now are committing human rights violations against the whole country. Rohingya are still at grave risk in Rakhine State where the junta commits crimes with impunity. The military continues to confine thousands of Rohingya to internment camps and Rohingya are still denied citizenship, freedom of movement, and other basic human rights. We are citizens of Myanmar and support the resistance movement against the junta including the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) the National Unity Government (NUG), and all people working for democracy and human rights. We support the international community and the NUG's commitment for international justice including at the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, and through the universal jurisdiction case in Argentina. However, we call on the NUG to expand on its Rohingya policy and appoint a Rohingya minster and other Muslim leaders. We call on United Nations member states to impose targeted sanctions against the Myanmar military and work to end impunity in the country. United Nations have been slow to show coordinated action to hold preparators accountable for crimes. We support the International Court of Justice genocide case at the World Court. We the undersigned organisations, call on governments around the world including the United States, United Kingdom, and others to make a clear genocide determination about the crimes committed against Rohingya. We Rohingya are still living in overcrowded and sprawling refugee camps. We thank the Bangladesh government for welcoming us to the country and providing us safety. We long to return home to Myanmar. Four years on, we will work to be able to return to our homeland as citizens, to build a country that ensures justice and rights for people regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity..."

Source/publisher: 

Champions of Change, Education & Wisdom Development for Rohingya Women , Rohingya Refugee Committee , Rohingya Women Education Initiative, Rohingya Youth for Legal Action, Rohingya Youth Unity Team, Voice of Rohingya, Rohingya Student Union

Date of Publication: 

2021-08-25

Date of entry: 

2021-09-01

Grouping: 

  • Individual Documents

Category: 

Countries: 

Myanmar

Language: 

English

Local URL: 

Format: 

pdf

Size: 

65.96 KB

Resource Type: 

text

Text quality: 

    • Good