Oral Statement Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar 52nd Session Human Rights Council, 20 March 2023 Agenda Item 3, Promotion and protection of human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Prepared and Submitted 14 March 2023 by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (UK)
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Speaker: Jawad Husain
Myanmar
Since the independence of Myanmar, the Rohingya have suffered persecution, discrimination and, at times, ethnic cleansing. In 2012 this oppression turned into a genocide. By 2018 at least 25,000 Rohingya had been killed by armed bands, mainly by their closest neighbours, the Rakhine, who have been supported by both the military and the National Unity Government. The majority of Rohingya have fled, as part of a deliberate attempt by the Myanmar military to remove them. Many are living in refugee camps, mainly in neighbouring Bangladesh. The biggest of these, Cox’s Bazaar, alone houses one million refugees.
Many refugees are turned back by Bangladeshi authorities on arrival to face the perilous boat journey back to Myanmar and the wrath of the waiting soldiers. We call on the UN to pressure governments in the region to abide by the international law of nonrefoulement by protecting refugees and asylum seekers, allowing them into their country and not removing them to Myanmar where they are in danger of further persecution.
The UN has stated that the Rohingya are the world’s most persecuted minority group, yet for over a decade little has been done to repatriate them to their homeland. The UN must redouble its efforts to pressure the government of Myanmar to abide by the decision of the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee of 12 November 2013 to grant citizenship to the Rohingya, allow the internally and externally displaced to return, and cease all forms of discrimination and abuse against them. There is no way of stopping the persecution of the Rohingyas without forcing the Myanmar government to recognise them as legitimate citizens in the same way that it recognises other ethnic groups. Failure to do this will lead to more acts of genocide.
