{"id":32978,"date":"2013-08-26T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=32978"},"modified":"2015-05-06T08:59:09","modified_gmt":"2015-05-06T07:59:09","slug":"systematic-patterns-of-anti-muslim-violence-in-burma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2013\/08\/systematic-patterns-of-anti-muslim-violence-in-burma\/","title":{"rendered":"Systematic Patterns of Anti-Muslim Violence in Burma"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Report Shows Government\u2019s Failure to Protect Muslims from Widespread Attacks<\/i><\/p>\n

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today [20 Aug 2013] released a report<\/a> documenting the recent wave of violence against Muslims throughout Burma, whose government has created a culture of impunity for the violators and has failed to protect the Muslim minority.<\/p>\n

The report details many of the violent events that have taken place over the last two years, which have resulted in the displacement of nearly 250,000 people, mostly Muslims, and the destruction of more than 10,000 homes, scores of mosques, and a dozen monasteries. It documents the government\u2019s failure to address human rights violations, points to police complicity in some cases, and identifies patterns emerging from the violent episodes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe deadly wave of violence in Burma has spread beyond the Rohingya, devastating Muslim communities throughout the country,\u201d said Bill Davis, one of the report authors and a PHR Burma researcher. \u201cPro-democracy leaders in Burma and beyond must unequivocally denounce this kind of rampant violence and discrimination. A successful transition to democracy can only occur if the human rights of all people are embraced, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s report comes at a time the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom\u00e1s Ojea Quintana, is conducting an official visit in Burma. He is expected to present his preliminary observations tomorrow.<\/p>\n

PHR\u2019s report, \u201cPatterns of Anti-Muslim Violence in Burma: A Call for Accountability and Prevention,\u201d shows how retaliatory attacks often end up targeting entire communities, and documents multiple instances where police and\/or the army attacked Rohingyas and other Muslims or watched as they were attacked, instead of protecting them. The report also provides recommendations to stop the violence, including calling on the government of Burma to investigate and prosecute members of the police who committed these violations, allow humanitarian organizations access to help those in need, and institute judicial and legal reforms needed to end pervasive discrimination against the Rohingya and other minorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Burmese government has not only failed to protect vulnerable groups, but has created a dangerous culture of impunity that fuels human rights violations,\u201d said Dr. Holly Atkinson, one of the report authors and a PHR volunteer medical advisor. \u201cThese horrific attacks can only be stopped if there is a thorough investigation and prosecution of those responsible, and appropriate steps are taken to protect vulnerable and marginalized groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings in the report are based on field research conducted in March, April, and May, during which time PHR interviewed 71 people in 18 locations across Rakhine State, Mandalay Division, and in Rangoon city. PHR has conducted eight investigations in Burma and the surrounding region between 2004 and 2013, most recently documenting a massacre that took place in the central Burmese town of Meiktila in March.<\/p>\n

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an independent organization that uses medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. We are supported by the expertise and passion of health professionals and concerned citizens alike.<\/p>\n

Since 1986, PHR has conducted investigations in more than 40 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, the United States, the former Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n