Smoke is seen on the Myanmar border as Rohingya refugees walk on the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh September 11, 2017.
The UN Security Council will take all initiatives to take action on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said the Human Rights Council President Vojislav Suc on Wednesday.
Suc told a news conference that a recent UN report on Myanmar’s human rights violations and abuses will be among 90 other reports to be addressed at the 39th Human Rights Council, which will be held between Sept. 10-28 at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Ambassador Suc referred to the report where the UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.
The U.K. is “committed” to make sure that perpetrators in Myanmar atrocities face justice, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday.Hunt’s remarks came during a session at the House of Commons, where the foreign office respond to questions from lawmakers.Responding to a question from Labour MP Stephen Twigg, who urged the foreign secretary to act to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Hunt said “there are two priorities” in the Rohingya crisis.He said the first priority was to enable a safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar but “that is not unproblematic.”“Second is to make sure that perpetrators face justice. That is going to be a long hard road[…] but[…] we are committed to going on that journey,” he said.Hunt said the situation in Myanmar remains a “real concern.”Upon a question from Labour MP Afzal Khan, who asked whether the U.K. has failed in referring Myanmar to the ICC, Hunt said “ethnic cleansing, in whatever shape and form, should not go unpunished” and “the perpetrators of these appalling crimes must be brought to justice.”Underlining the special responsibility of the U.K. as a “penholder” in the matter, Hunt said he intends to convene “a high-level meeting of ministers in the margins of UN general assembly later this month.”“But ICC referral has to happen as a decision of the [UN] Security Council and at the moment it is not clear that there will be a consensus on the Security Council to deliver that,” he said.“We will leave no stone unturned to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” Hunt added.The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has called for the trial of Myanmar’s top military officials, including army commander-in-chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, at the International Criminal Court for committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims.“It is very important in all our dealings with the Burmese regime, they understand that a line has been crossed,” the foreign secretary said upon a question on the parliamentary engagement with Myanmar.- Rohingya's persecutionSince Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).In a recent report, Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience, the OIDA raised the estimated number of murdered Rohingya to 23,962 (± 881) from a Doctors Without Borders figure of 9,400.More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, the OIDA report said, adding that 17,718 (±780) Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police. Over 115,000 Rohingya houses were also burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community.The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.- Reuters journalistsHunt also received questions about the two Reuters journalists who were sentenced to long imprisonments in Myanmar for unraveling the atrocities.“These two journalists were doing, what is in the best traditions of all journalism, which is exposing things that the governments don’t want to be exposed that are evil and bad,” Hunt said.A Myanmar court on Monday sentenced two Reuters news agency journalists to seven years in jail for investigation into the murder of Rohingya Muslim men by security officials.Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison during the investigation into the murder of 10 Rohingya men in the western Rakhine state.Expressing his concerns on the conviction of the journalists, Hunt said he would be visiting Myanmar and raising this issue among many others.
UK 'committed' to justice for Myanmar atrocities
In the report issued by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, UN investigators said the violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
The mission called for the trial of Myanmar’s top military officials, including army commander-in-chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, at the International Criminal Court for committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims.
Vuc also said the council will also discuss human rights violations in Syria, Yemen, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Myanmar to free two Reuters journalists jailed on Monday for their reporting of the Rohingya crisis, as well as all other journalists detained for exercising their freedom of expression.A Myanmar judge earlier on Monday found the two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state secrets and jailed them for seven years, in a landmark case seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country."Their conviction follow a legal process that clearly breached international standards," Bachelet said in a statement. "It sends a message to all journalists in Myanmar that they cannot operate fearlessly, but must rather make a choice to either self-censor or risk prosecution." UK's Hunt to visit Myanmar, raise case of jailed Reuters journalists'Myanmar jailing of Reuters journalists harsh setback for media freedom'European Union demands freedom for two Reuters journalists jailed in MyanmarMyanmar slaps prison sentences on two Reuters journalists
UN human rights chief Bachelet urges Myanmar to free Reuters reporters
The three-week session will be carried out with the participation of 25 independent human rights experts, groups and mechanisms, Vuc said, adding their presentations will be considered on a wide range of human rights issues.
Vuc also said the keynote speech would be given by the newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
A Rohingya cattle herdsman was reportedly killed by a group of Buddhists and other was found dead in the western Rakhine state of Myanmar on Sunday.Azizul Haque, 47, was killed by Buddhists without provocation at a river near the town of Kyauktaw in the northern part of the Rakhine state while he was taking care of the cattle, Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) Chairman Nurul Islam told Anadolu Agency.In addition, a 25-year-old Asauddin's body was found in a creek near the same town after he went to another village on Friday to buy medicine for his sick mother in the hospital, Islam stated."This kind of killing is a regular phenomenon in the Rakhine State with full impunity," Islam added.Additionally, 15 cattle belonging to Rohingya Muslims were stolen on Sunday by police and people from the Rakhine state.Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, the OIDA report said, adding that 17,718 (±780) Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police. Over 115,000 Rohingya houses were also burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
Rohingya herdsman killed, other found dead in Myanmar
The prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Myanmar was delaying the Rohingya repatriation process without a specific cause.“When we talk, Myanmar always says it is ready to take back its nationals[...] .but the reality is that they say it, but don’t do it,” she said at a news conference held in Dhaka following a two-day visit to Nepal to attend a BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit, a seven-nation economic bloc of South Asia and South East Asia.Hasina said the Rohingya issue was not discussed at the event but that she had met Myanmar President Win Myint at the summit.“He acknowledged the agreement that we have inked. Myanmar says they are ready to take back their nationals,” Hasina said.Last December Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement to repatriate Rohingya but the process is yet to start.Experts urge China to break silence on Rohingya crisisNearly 24,000 Rohingya killedIn a report, the UNHCR refugee agency said nearly 170,000 Rohingya likely fled Myanmar in 2012 alone.Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).In a recent report, Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience, the OIDA raised the estimated number of murdered Rohingya to 23,962 (± 881) from a Doctors Without Borders figure of 9,400.More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, the OIDA report said, adding that 17,718 (±780) Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police. Over 115,000 Rohingya houses were also burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community.The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
Bangladesh PM: Myanmar delaying Rohingya repatriation