Demonized, Removed, Abused, Denied, Destroyed, Ignored Rohingya

Rohingya are neither “terrorists” nor “enemies” nor “threats.” 

But governments, taking the example of United States leaders, use these pejoratives selectively and expediently against individuals and groups as pretexts for violence, removal, displacement, human rights abuse— actually terrorizing endlessly—those whom they cast as “terrorists,” “enemies,” “threats.”

T

he Rohingya People of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma), appear to be an ancient, indigenous people whose heritage traces to the 8th century, a predominantly Muslim people, who are denied existence: denied country and rendered stateless, denied cultural being subject to human rights protections and protection under law.

Myanmar’s leaders refuse to recognize the Rohingya as an “ethnic minority, one of the eight ‘national (Myanmar or Burma) indigenous races.’” These leaders deny the Rohingya “freedom of movement, state education and civil service.” (Background source Wikipedia)

I

n the news

Though “Myanmar is a signatory to the Genocide Convention—whose signers agree “that genocide is an international crime”—and though Myanmar, under this Convention, “is bound to prevent and punish genocide,” the country’s leaders refuse “to acknowledge that potential international crimes may have been committed” and deny “that atrocities” have been committed against the Rohingya. They blame the victims for the crimes of the leaders, claiming that Myanmar’s “actions against the Rohingya (are) taken to tackle terrorism.”

Genocide: The UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, finds that the case of Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya presents “three legal elements” sufficient to bring prosecution under the charge of genocide: 

(1) “They (the Rohingya) are a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”; 

(2) Myanmar’s actions—“such as killing, forcible transfer, and preventing births”— committed “against the Rohingya constitute genocide”; and   

(3) Myanmar’s actions “demonstrate a clear intent to destroy in part or in whole the Rohingya minority.”

A

t Court

Prior attempts at justice under law: The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, a Bologna, Italy-based United Nations-backed international court, in September 2017 “found Myanmar guilty of genocide against the Rohingya people.”

Sources

 “Myanmar: IHRC report charges Myanmar with genocide against Rohingya” Report June 26, 2018 press release http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/18666-press-release-myanmar-ihrc-report-charges-myanmar-with-genocide-against-rohingya/

“The Rohingya People,” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_people

Insight Beyond Today’s News, CLB