Crimes against humanity in Western Burma: the situation of the Rohingyas.

Abstract

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________13 displacement and marriage restrictions, the Rohingyas are targeted for abuse on account of their minority status.In the absence of the most basic freedoms, resulting in destitution and frequently death, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have been left with no option but to flee their homes for the relative safety of neighbouring States.Taken together and in context, the offences committed against the Rohingya minority appear to present a case for the crime against humanity of persecution. ConclusionsThis Report finds that there is a reliable body of evidence pointing to acts constituting a widespread or systematic attack against the Rohingya civilian population in North Arakan State.These appear to satisfy the requirements under international criminal law for the perpetration of crimes against humanity.After being hounded for decades, it is time that adequate attention be given to the plight of the Rohingyas.The root causes of the situation of the Rohingyas must be further assessed, as failure to do so will undoubtedly lead to a bleak future for this ethnic minority group.People committing, allowing, aiding and abetting these crimes must be held accountable.The international community has a responsibility to protect the Rohingyas, to respond to the allegations of crimes against humanity, and to ensure that violations and impunity do not persist for another generation.1 C. Lewa, The Arakan Project, 'Unregistered Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Crackdown, Forced Displacement and Hunger' ( 2010), available at http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/Bangladesh-Crackdown.pdf;Physicians for Human Rights, 'Stateless and Starving: Persecuted Rohingya Flee Burma and Starve in Bangladesh' ( 2010), available at http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/stateless-and-starving.pdf at 6; MSF, 'Violent Crackdown Fuels Humanitarian Crisis for Unrecognised Rohingya Refugees Bangladesh' (2010), 2 For earlier reports which provide an overview of the situation of human rights of the Rohingyas in North Arakan State, see Amnesty International (AI), 'Myanmar.