{"id":143209,"date":"2019-09-23T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T11:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=143209"},"modified":"2019-11-19T10:49:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T10:49:33","slug":"genocide-threat-for-myanmars-rohingya-greater-than-ever-investigators-warn-human-rights-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/09\/genocide-threat-for-myanmars-rohingya-greater-than-ever-investigators-warn-human-rights-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Genocide Threat for Myanmar\u2019s Rohingya Greater than Ever, Investigators Warn Human Rights Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

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16 Sep 2019 – Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya who remain in Myanmar may face a greater threat of genocide than ever, amid Government attempts to \u201cerase their identity and remove them from the country\u201d, UN-appointed independent investigators said today.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In a report detailing alleged violations in Myanmar over the last year, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission<\/a>, insists that many of the conditions that led to \u201ckillings, rapes and gang rapes, torture, forced displacement and other grave rights violations\u201d by the country\u2019s military, that prompted some 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017, are still present.<\/p>\n

Citing the lack of accountability for the perpetrators of these alleged crimes, as well as the failure by Myanmar \u201cto investigate genocide and to enact effective legislation criminalizing and punishing genocide\u201d, the UN-appointed independent panel concludes \u201cthat the evidence that infers genocidal intent on the part of the State\u2026has strengthened, that there is a serious risk that genocidal actions may occur or recur\u201d.<\/p>\n

Echoing those findings, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee told the Human Rights Council earlier on Monday that Myanmar had \u201cdone nothing to dismantle the system of violence and persecution\u201d against the Rohingya who live in the \u201csame dire circumstances that they did, prior to the events of August 2017\u201d.<\/p>\n

Citing satellite imagery of destroyed Rohingya villages, Ms. Lee questioned Myanmar\u2019s assertion that it rebuilt areas affected by the violence, given that there were \u201csix military bases that have been built on the site of destroyed Rohingya villages\u201d.<\/p>\n

Of nearly 400 Rohingya villages apparently destroyed, \u201cthere has been no attempt to reconstruct 320 of them\u201d, the Special Rapporteur noted, and four in 10 villages had been \u201ccompletely razed to the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some of that demolition occurred in 2018 and some even in 2019 \u201cand all of this is completely antithetical to the claim that Myanmar is ready to receive the refugees (back from Bangladesh)\u201d, Ms. Lee insisted.<\/p>\n

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Rohingya refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in Myanmar. IOM\/Mohammed<\/p><\/div>\n

600,000 Rohingya \u2018Remain the Target\u2019 of Myanmar Authorities<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the International Fact-Finding Mission\u2019s near 200-page report, the abuses it found were not on the same scale as the \u201cclearance operations\u201d conducted against Rohingya communities in the summer of 2017.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the 600,000 mainly-Muslim Rohingya still in Myanmar \u201cremain the target\u201d of Government efforts to remove them from the country, the expert panel insisted.<\/p>\n

The threats the Rohingya minority face include a \u201ccontinuation of hate speech\u201d and discrimination that affects their ability to work, attend school, seek medical care \u201cor even pray and congregate\u201d, the report notes.<\/p>\n

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#HRC42<\/a> Presentation of oral update by SR, Ms Yanghee Lee, on the situation of #humanrights<\/a> in #Myanmar<\/a>, followed by statement of concerned country and interactive dialogue. @YangheeLeeSKKU<\/a> live on https:\/\/t.co\/6PWCTAjxDN<\/a> @UNgeneva<\/a> #Rohingyas<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bDvu5fmnT3<\/a><\/p>\n

— United Nations Human Rights Council | #HRC55 (@UN_HRC) September 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n