The Karen Women’s Organization joins the rest of the people of Burma in celebrating the announcement by the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court that he has applied for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese military.

The request is based on his role in the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya. We stand with the Rohingya in their long struggle for justice. We know the Burmese military’s cruelty and criminality.

General Min Aung Hlaing not only bears responsibility for the crimes stated in the request for a warrant but also for leading the attempted coup d’etat and all the subsequent crimes against the entire civilian population of Burma. “The 74,000 women members of the Karen Women’s Organization are encouraged to see this step toward justice during the 16-Day Campaign to End Gender-Based Violence. We have evidence of at least 212 civilian women killed in Kawthoolei (Karen State) since the attempted coup and 127 children under the orders of Min Aung Hlaing. His military has wounded at least 909 civilians, including 369 women and 209 children in Kawthoolei:

“He must face justice for his crimes” stated Naw Knyaw Paw, Chairperson of the Karen Women’s Organization.

Our community along with hundreds of others across Burma suffer daily war atrocities as civilians are bombed and shelled. It is long overdue for the perpetrators to be held to account. We hope this will be a step toward that long-awaited day.

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