Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, which has brought a case of genocide in Argentina using the principle of universal jurisdiction, learned today that the Argentine Prosecutor investigating the case has petitioned to the Argentinian Court to issue multiple arrest warrants. This petition follows a December 2023 Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK´s similar warrants request against:

Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief and 2021 military coup leader.
Soe Win, Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
Aung Kyaw Zaw, Commander of the Bureau of Special Operations No. 3.
Maung Maung Soe, Chief of the Army’s Western Command.
Aung Aung, Commander of the Army’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 33.
Kyaw Shay, police officer; and
Aung San Mya, village Chairman.

The court will now have to decide whether to issue all, some, or none, of the arrest warrants. No arrests warrants have yet been issued and it may be several weeks before a decision on the arrest warrants is made.

Many of the individuals whose warrants are requested for – including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing – are not only responsible for the genocide against the Rohingya but are also responsible for atrocities against other communities in Burma, including crimes against humanity since the military coup of February 2021. These crimes are ongoing.

“Today we are one more step closer to finally seeing the first ever arrests warrants for Min Aung Hlaing and senior members of the Burmese military,” said Tun Khin, President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. “The decision to request arrest warrants sends a clear message to the Burmese military that they will not be able to escape accountability for their crimes.”

The Argentine Prosecutor’s petition seeks a wider range of arrest warrants, including Aung San Suu Kyi and Htin Kyaw which were not requested by Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. We believe that in making a decision on the Prosecutor´s request, the Court must give absolute priority to hold the Burmese military and Min Aung Hlaing to account, along the lines of our December 2023 arrest warrants request, which would be the most appropriate procedural decision according to the progress of the investigation. We will make a formal request to the court to ask them to consider the current political context in Burma and whether issuing arrest warrants for Aung San Suu Kyi and Htin Kyaw serves the best interests of justice at this time.

Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK first filed a complaint to the Argentina judiciary in 2019 and the case was opened in 2021. It is the first universal jurisdiction case anywhere in the world regarding the Rohingya genocide.

“This is the first time ever that an independent prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for the widespread and horrendous crimes committed by the Burmese military for decades. This is an historic and significant recognition of the Rohingya genocide,” said Tun Khin. “Min Aung Hlaing is a criminal, and he has to end up in the jail cell where he belongs.”

For more information, please contact Tun Khin +44 7888714866

See the original post.