[Repost] Statement – 9th Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day: A Call for Justice and Accountability by the Women’s Peace Network

31 August 2026

Full statement in PDF

Today marks the 9th anniversary of the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine State. This Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day stands as a crucial moment to not only look back at the atrocities that have occurred against the Rohingya in the past, but also a persecution that has continued since. As the conflict between the Arakan Army and Burmese military junta continues to rage, the Rohingya face a nexus of atrocities perpetrated by both sides. 

Reminiscent of the Burmese Army’s genocidal campaign in 2017, the Arakan Army has targeted Rohingya populated areas in Rakhine State since 2024. Rohingya in these areas have been subjected to grave atrocities including arson attacks, forced transfer and demographic change, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, forced labor and recruitment, sexual and gender-based violence, along with massacres of hundreds of Rohingya. At the same time, the Junta commits atrocity crimes against the Rohingya during what they maintain are defensive actions against the enemy. Like the Arakan Army, these crimes constitute rape, looting, forced displacement, mass-killings, and forced recruitment. The Junta also maintains apartheid like conditions in Sittwe and other junta-controlled territories. Both sides’ actions appear to be part of an effort at erasing the identity of the Rohingya: physically, socially, and culturally. 

Consequently, besides violent acts, Rohingya are also subjected to systematic barriers to their continued survival. This is due to restrictions on their ability to create a livelihood, barriers to aid and vital resources, and overall conditions degrading the quality of life. The vulnerabilities of Rohingya in this situation make international response imperative. The patterns of persecution in the past persist today because perpetrators of genocide have not been held accountable. 

To end the patterns of persecution the Rohingya face, effective accountability measures must be put into place. In order for changes to occur, legal response as well as political, must demonstrate that what has occurred will not be tolerated nor allowed to continue. The perpetrators of the genocide in Myanmar and the ongoing crimes against the Rohingya: including the Arakan Army and Burmese military junta, should be processed. A necessary step for this accountability would be the expedition of the international justice process; including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) processes, as Rohingya face increasing vulnerability. The United Nations Security Council should refer the situation of Myanmar to the ICC in order to prosecute the entirety of the crimes committed under the Rome Statute. 

Besides accountability, humanitarian aid must be increased as Rohingya internally and externally suffer under life threatening conditions. Inside Myanmar, conflict and barriers to resources such as blockages to aid, have left many Rohingya in jeopardy of disease and famine. Cross-border aid should be enabled with support from the international community and local civil society.

Outside of Myanmar in refugee camps, aid has to be given to supporting better infrastructure and creating proper habitation. Additional aid must be given to establish opportunities for Rohingya refugees. Education for children, programs aimed at promoting skills to build livelihoods and founding services to protect the most vulnerable in camps; particularly women and children, are all critical. Protections must also be put into place to serve Rohingya seeking refuge, including by taking measures against human trafficking networks according to the Bali Process, as well as cracking down on hate speech.

Ultimately, for change to occur the international community must involve the voices of the Rohingya who are the greatest stakeholders in plans for Myanmar’s future. The Rohingya once again face an existential threat and unless a new approach is taken history will continue to repeat itself. 

Women’s Peace Network

Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by jamestan2019

[Repost] Five years since the Burmese military’s attempted coup in Myanmar

2 February 2026

Today marks five years since the Burmese military’s violent overthrow of an elected government in Myanmar, and subsequent commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against our fellow people.

The military’s atrocities – including air and drone strikes, arbitrary arrest and detention, mass killing, sexual and gender-based violence – have forced millions of civilians to become internally displaced persons in areas of armed conflict and famine, or refugees in life-threatening conditions of exile over land and sea.

We strongly reject the military’s recent sham election, which will only embolden its forces to intensify its campaign of terror across the country. Even during its so-called election period, in just weeks, the military murdered over 170 civilians with its airstrikes. This month, at the International Court of Justice’s public hearings on The Gambia v. Myanmar case, the military publicly denied its genocide against the Rohingya and the Rohingya identity.

We urge the international community to hold the Burmese military accountable for international crimes. Holding the key agent of Myanmar’s catastrophe will help end the country’s decades-long impunity, which is now being exercised by the Arakan Army to ethnically cleanse Rakhine State of the Rohingya. Myanmar’s future must rest on the rule of law, equality, and fundamental freedoms of all of the country’s diverse peoples.

At the same time, we call for immediate protection and relief to all civilians in Myanmar. The international community must enable cross-border aid via credible actors to Myanmar, as well as comprehensive support to women-led groups and other local civil society. 

We urge the international community to join our brave people’s resistance against authoritarianism, dictatorship, patriarchy, and all other forms of oppression.

WOMEN’S PEACE NETWORK

Leave a Comment » | Conflicts and Peace, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by jamestan2019

[Repost] Myanmar begins defence in landmark genocide case at UN World Court

20 January 2026

https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/news/2026/01/114937/myanmar-begins-defence-landmark-genocide-case-un-world-court

Myanmar on Friday rejected allegations of genocide against the Rohingya minority, telling the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the Gambia’s case rests on “unsubstantiated allegations,” as public hearings continued in a landmark case on the application of the Genocide Convention.

Addressing judges in The Hague, Ko Ko Hlaing, speaking as Myanmar’s agent, said his country fully recognizes the importance of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide but firmly denies breaching its obligations under international law.

“A finding of genocide would place an indelible stain on my country and its people,” he said, describing the proceedings as “of fundamental importance for my country’s reputation and future.”

Mr. Hlaing accused the applicant of relying on what he called rudimentary and partisan, including reports by a fact-finding mission, “which are neither reliable nor objective, and were a condemnation without trial of Myanmar.”

Myanmar acted against terrorists

Myanmar also rejected claims that its military’s so-called “clearance operations” in northern Rakhine state in 2016 and 2017 were genocidal in intent, maintaining they were counter-terrorism operations launched in response to attacks by the armed groups.

“Obviously, Myanmar was not obliged to remain idle and allow terrorists to have free rein of northern Rakhine state,” Mr. Hlaing told the Court, while acknowledging that civilians were killed and large numbers of people fled to Bangladesh as a result of the clashes.

He further disputed allegations that Myanmar denies the existence or rights of the Muslim population in northern Rakhine state, arguing that questions of citizenship, terminology and identity “have nothing to do with genocide.”

Myanmar said it has complied with all procedural orders of the Court, including provisional measures issued in January 2020, and has submitted regular reports on steps taken.

It also reiterated its stated commitment to the repatriation of displaced people from Bangladesh, citing bilateral agreements and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

The case before the ICJ

The case stems from an application filed by Gambia in November 2019, accusing Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention through acts allegedly committed during military operations in Rakhine state.

Those operations escalated in 2017, forcing more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh amid widespread killings, sexual violence and village burnings, according to UN investigations. Nearly one million Rohingya remain refugees in Bangladesh.

The hearings, which will continue through late January, mark the first time the Court is examining the merits of the case. The Court’s final judgment, which could take months after the hearings conclude, will be legally binding.

Source URL 

Myanmar begins defence in landmark genocide case at UN World Court

Leave a Comment » | Conflicts and Peace | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by jamestan2019