Ending Genocidal Impunity in Myanmar
“600,000 Rohingya remaining in Rakhine State are currently being targeted with atrocities by both the Burmese military and the Arakan Army.”
In a remarkable development, the Chief Prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military, for crimes committed against Rohingya. This long-overdue move marks a pivotal step towards justice and accountability—not only for the Rohingya, but for all peoples of Myanmar. It also underlines the urgent need for accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide targeting countless victims and survivors from Rohingya and other ethnic communities. The international community must now take concrete action, pushing for the swift issuance of an ICC arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing and other top military leaders, to halt ongoing atrocities against the Rohingya and ensure their immediate protection.
Min Aung Hlaing’s well-documented crimes against the Rohingya community are among the most horrific human rights violations of our time. The Myanmar military’s “clearance operations” against the Rohingya in 2017—including mass killings, widespread sexual violence, mass rape, and forced displacement—led to an exodus of over 742,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh. Since then, the military has continued its campaign of violence, targeting the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious communities with carte blanche impunity. The overwhelming evidence of international crimes against the Rohingya, meticulously documented by local and international human rights organizations, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, leaves no doubt: Genocide has been committed by the Myanmar military.
While the application for an arrest warrant is a step in the right direction, the ICC Prosecutor’s application mistakenly refers to Min Aung Hlaing as the “Acting President” of Myanmar, a title that is both factually and ethically wrong. Since the illegal coup attempt in February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing’s role as head of the junta completely lacks any legitimacy and legality. Min Aung Hlaing must be labeled for what he is: an international criminal. Referring to him as “Acting President” risks lending him unwarranted legitimacy. Such misrepresentation undermines the Myanmar people’s struggle for democracy and justice, and dismisses the sacrifices of the thousands who have lost their lives in the fight for these causes.
To date, the Rohingya community continues to be the targets of the Myanmar military’s brutal terror campaign, enduring years of systemic persecution and denial of their basic human rights. As Women’s Peace Network noted, “600,000 Rohingya remaining in Rakhine State are currently being targeted with atrocities by both the Burmese military and the Arakan Army.” Meanwhile, life in the refugee camps in Bangladesh has reached an inhuman state and constant deterioration, with over one million Rohingya living without access to necessities or a sense of security. As one Rohingya refugee poignantly stated, “Being refugees, it’s not happy for us to live in this kind of situation — there is no proper shelter, no proper food, there is no proper education and no proper facilities that a human being deserves.”
Yet, despite facing unimaginable suffering, Rohingya human rights defenders and advocates continue to call for justice, offering a powerful reminder of the need for global solidarity and action.
The ICC Prosecutor move is a crucial step towards justice—not just for the Rohingya community but for all peoples of Myanmar. Holding the Myanmar military accountable for its crimes against the Rohingya will pave the way for addressing its decades of international crimes against other ethnic and religious communities. It sends a strong message to perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes: Impunity will not prevail. It offers a glimmer of hope for the millions of victims and survivors across Myanmar who have suffered from the military’s war of terror. However, justice must be swift, decisive, and comprehensive, holding to account not just Min Aung Hlaing but all those who have aided, abetted, enabled, and committed these crimes.
In this critical moment, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I must promptly issue the arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing. Furthermore, State Parties to the Rome Statute must urgently request the ICC Prosecutor to investigate the crisis in Myanmar under the Statute’s Article 14. All international actors, including UN agencies and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), must end all engagement and collaboration with the military junta at all levels, including with Min Aung Hlaing. Only through such unified and resolute action can justice and accountability be achieved for the Rohingya and all the peoples of Myanmar.
The ICC’s investigation into the Myanmar military’s crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya marks a turning point in the fight against impunity—only if it is followed by concrete and coordinated action. The global community must seize and sustain the momentum, and ensure that Min Aung Hlaing and his accomplices face justice for their heinous crimes. This is not merely about holding one man accountable; it is about preventing further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, restoring hope and dignity to victims and survivors, and charting a path toward a just, safe, and inclusive Myanmar for all.
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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 Asia Justice Coalition
Burma Campaign UK Welcomes ICC Application for Min Aung Hlaing Arrest Warrant
By Burma Campaign UK
BROUK Welcomes ICC Min Aung Hlaing Arrest Warrant Application
By Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
ICC Member States: Ensure Accountability for Ongoing International Crimes in Myanmar
By Fortify Rights
By Human Rights Foundation of Monland
Reaction to ICC Prosecutor’s request for arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing
By Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
မင်းအောင်လှိုင်အား ဖမ်းဝရမ်းထုတ်ရန် အိုင်စီစီ တရားလိုရှေ့နေ၏ တောင်းဆိုမှုအား တုံ့ပြန်ချက်
By Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
By International Criminal Court
By International Criminal Court
Statement on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
By Karen Human Rights Group
KWO welcomes the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement of an arrest warrant application for Min Aung Hlaing
By Karen Women’s Organization
By Myanmar Women Peace and Security
By National Unity Government, Karen National Union, Karenni National Progressive Party and Chin National Front
Arrest Warrant Application For Min Aung Hlaing Welcome Step Closer To Justice
By Special Advisory Council for Myanmar
#NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls
By United Nations Myanmar
By Women’s Peace Network
Reports
Update on Journalism and Media Safety in Myanmar: July-September 2024
By Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
A Report on the Situation of Women, Children, and the Elderly in Karenni State
By Interim Executive Council of Karenni State
By Human Rights Foundation of Monland
Myanmar Humanitarian Update No. 42
By United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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.”
