Photo credit: Human Rights Watch
Civil society organizations and human rights defenders are intensifying calls for accountability and an end to decades of impunity as civilians, Rohingya, and all communities in Myanmar continue to face killings, mass forced displacement, and other forms of systematic human rights violations.
DVB reports that three prominent human rights defenders from Myanmar spoke at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and at a high-level conference on the situation of the Rohingyas at the UN General Assembly in New York. They urged the international community to take concrete steps to pursue justice and restore peace, dignity and human rights.
Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, said, “We want justice. When I visited the Rohingya refugee camps, every survivor said the same thing: That they have been waiting for justice for eight years. It is critical to obtain justice for these survivors of genocide.”
Although Tun Khin has led efforts to pursue action against Myanmar’s military leadership, he has expressed concern over the slow pace of the mechanisms involved. Hw mentioned the ICC’s swift actions in other cases, such as the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He questioned why similar urgency was not applied in the case of Myanmar
While speaking at the 30 September High-Level Conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslima and other minorities in Myanmar, Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said, “today, life in Myanmar – especially in Rakhine State – may be the worst it has ever been for the Rohingya and other minorities, marking another grim chapter i a long history of persecution.”
Lucky Karim, a Rohingya human rights advocate and founder of Refugee Women for Peace and Justice, spent years in Bangladesh’s refugee camps after fleeing violence with her family. She said, “In the camps, refugees are often unable to speak out about the conditions they face. Now, I’m able to communicate those needs directly to policymakers.”
The Chin community is another ethnic community in Myanmar. It has faced severe challenges since the military coup of 2021.
Salai Za Uk Ling, Executive Director of the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), has documented abuses against Chin people for over 30 years. He said, “Our communities have faced indiscriminate violence, including bombings and attacks on religious institutions. Over half of the Chin population has been displaced since the coup.”
