US Designation of Rohingya Genocide Must Spur Action
“The United States has concluded that genocide has been committed seven times. Today marks the eighth. I have determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity.”
As the Myanmar military junta’s head makes violent threats to “annihilate” those who oppose military rule, the United States’ designation of the 2017 violence against the Rohingya as genocide reminds the world of the extreme brutality that this military is capable of. It is also a reminder that the international community must pursue all avenues of justice and accountability, both for the Rohingya who faced genocide in 2017, and the rest of Myanmar’s people, who are suffering since the coup attempt of 1st of February last year.
At an announcement at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., the US Secretary of State, Blinken, said “The United States has concluded that genocide has been committed seven times. Today marks the eighth. I have determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity.” This comes after years of documentation and advocacy by local, regional, and international human rights organizations, as well as by the UN-mandated, Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (IIFFMM). While the military junta unsurprisingly rejected the designation, the National Unity Government, the legitimate government of Myanmar, did welcome the designation and pledged to work towards safe return of Rohingya refugees and legislative and policy reforms to support “citizenship, equality and rights and opportunity, and justice and reparations.” Meanwhile a statement by 357 civil society organizations welcoming the designation also drew parallels to the situation after the attempted coup, “The same military that committed genocide against the Rohingya are committing massacres, airstrikes, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary mass arrests, sexual and gender-based violence, violence against children and mass displacement following its attempted coup – an attempt that failed, largely due to courageous and united resistance from the people of Myanmar in defense of their democracy.”
This designation is of course not news to the Rohingya community themselves. As Tun Khin of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK stated, “This designation lets Rohingya know that their voices have been heard amid the cruel suffering they continue to endure.” A Rohingya refugee in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh, told the Guardian, “It has been 60 years starting from 1962 that the Myanmar government has been torturing us and many other communities including Rohingya. I think a path to take action by the international community against Myanmar has opened up because of the declaration.” This is exactly what must happen now.
Now that this designation has been made, the US and other countries in the international community must take concrete steps to pursue justice and accountability for the Rohingya. There remains nearly one million Rohingya who fled this genocide and are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, while those that remain in Rakhine State are subject to apartheid-like conditions, being deprived of basic freedom of movement, of religion, access to healthcare and education, and of course, citizenship.
Thus, there must be renewed momentum to support efforts to refer the situation of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court through the UN Security Council for the prosecution of military leaders. Furthermore, the case against the State of Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, must be supported, while the UN Human Rights Council must heed Myanmar civil society’s recent calls for the establishment of “a jurisdiction for atrocity crimes.” However, while such kind of justice and criminal accountability cannot be provided for domestically, the Spring Revolution has catalyzed a wave of inter-ethnic solidarity and a reflection of discriminatory attitudes and practices. These must also be acted upon to forge a society that is inclusive of the Rohingya, that acknowledges past mistakes, and begins a process of concrete reparations, both material and symbolic, as part of a broader process of restorative justice. These include recognition of Rohingya as an ethnic group and the restoration of their citizenship.
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[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.
Resources from the past week
Statements and Press Releases
By 136 Myanmar Civil Society Organizations
Momentum for justice as US to label Rohingya crackdown genocide
By Amnesty International
Flash Update: No. 02 – INVEST 91B, Myanmar – 22 Mar 2022
By ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance
Yes, It Is and Always Has Been Genocide
By Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
US Companies Must Cut Ties with Burma’s Genocide Generals
By Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK Welcomes New UK Sanctions Targeting Burmese Military Air Force
By Burma Campaign UK
BROUK Welcomes New Sanctions On Myanmar Military By US, UK And Canada
By Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
BROUK Welcomes US Rohingya Genocide Determination
By Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
Myanmar sentences journalists Hanthar Nyein and Than Htike Aung to 2 years in prison
By Committee to Protect Journalists
Statement on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
By Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
Joint Statement on Armed Forces Day in Myanmar
By European Union and Foreign Ministers of Albania, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia , Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States
By FORUM-ASIA, Progressive Voice, RW Welfare Society, Karen Human Rights Group and Chin Human Rights Organization
Myanmar: New Evidence and Findings of Post-Coup d’État Crimes Against Humanity
By Fortify Rights
By Fortify Rights
By Friends of the Earth Japan, Justice For Myanmar and Mekong Watch
By International Committee of the Red Cross
ILO Governing Body Agrees Myanmar Commission of Inquiry
By International Labour Organization
Myanmar Junta Jails Three Journalists in One Week
By International Federation of Journalists
By Justice For Myanmar
Justice For Myanmar Welcomes Canadian, UK and US Armed Forces Day Sanctions
By Justice For Myanmar
Telenor Group Is Aiding and Abetting M1 Group to Violate Myanmar Sanctions
By Justice For Myanmar
By Karen Human Rights Group
By Khin Ohmar, Progressive Voice
Unprecedented Legal Case To Launch in Turkey Against Myanmar Junta
By Myanmar Accountability Project
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Justice)
Appointment of New Representative to France
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Press Release on the Visit of Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair to Myanmar
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
National Unity Government Announcement 7/2022
By National Unity Government
By National Unity Government (President Office)
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Human Rights)
Statement on the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Human Rights)
Letter from Senators to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand
By United States Senate
UN Secretary-General repeating cycle of UN failure in Myanmar
By Special Advisory Council for Myanmar
By Government of Canada
By United Kingdom (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)
Myanmar: Armed Forces Day Spotlights Atrocities
By Human Rights Watch
Myanmar: US Recognizes Genocide Against Rohingya
By Human Rights Watch
Myanmar Military Leaders Must Be Prosecuted for Genocide Without Further Delay
By Special Advisory Council for Myanmar
Sale of Telenor Myanmar completed
By Telenor Group
UK announces new sanctions against Myanmar military ahead of Myanmar Armed Forces Day
By United Kingdom (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)
By United States (Department of the Treasury)
Administrator Samantha Power on on Designation of Atrocities against Rohingya Genocide
By United States Agency for International Development
High Commissioner Says Accountability Remains Crucial to Any Solution to the Crisis in Myanmar
By UN Human Rights Council and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Human Rights Council Holds Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
By United Nations Human Rights Council
UN expert: Myanmar people betrayed with ‘vague declarations’ and ‘tedious, endless wait’ for action
By UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar
Secretary Antony J. Blinken on the Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma
By U.S. Department of State
United States and Allies Impose Additional Sanctions on the Burmese Military Regime
By U.S. Department of State
Reports
By Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
“Nowhere is Safe” – The Myanmar Junta’s Crimes Against Humanity Following the Coup d’État
By Fortify Rights
ရှစ်လအတွင်း EAOS နယ်မြေများ၌ တိုက်ပွဲ နှစ်ထောင်ကျော်ရှိလာ
By Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar
Solidarités International Myanmar: Update on Water Scarcity (24 of March 2022)
By Solidarités International
Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan Monitoring Report: January – December 2021
By United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
By United Nations Human Rights Council
Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release “Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice.”
