The international community must take a strong stand on
the dramatic deterioration of the situation for ethnic and religious minorities
in Myanmar, where the military has carried out a vicious campaign of ethnic
cleansing targeting the Rohingya people and continues to commit crimes against
humanity on a daily basis, Amnesty International said ahead of a UN Human
Rights Council (HRC) emergency discussion on the country.
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| Rohingyas are fleeing for Myanmar Army's atrocities |
The HRC is meeting in Geneva tomorrow [5 December] to
hold a ‘special session’ on the situation of the Rohingya and other minorities
in Myanmar.
James Gomez, Amnesty International's Regional Director
for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:
“By holding this special session, the Human Rights
Council is highlighting the urgency of the need to address the human rights
crisis in Myanmar.
“But this is not enough – the Council must now step up
and pass a strong resolution that sends a clear message to Myanmar’s government
and military that their abhorrent treatment of the Rohingya must end immediately,
and that perpetrators will not enjoy impunity.”
More than 620,000 people have fled into Bangladesh in a
matter of months, as security forces unleashed a targeted campaign of violence
against the Rohingya, including: killing an unknown number of women, men and
children; raping women and girls; laying landmines; and burning entire Rohingya
villages.
Rohingya people who remain in the country are trapped in
a dehumanising system of apartheid, where virtually every aspect of their lives
is severely restricted. Dismantling this system of apartheid is essential to
ensure the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya who have fled Myanmar.
James Gomez said:
“The Human Rights Council must also address the
wide-ranging human rights violations being committed by Myanmar’s security
forces against other ethnic minorities, in particular in Kachin and northern
Shan States. These include extrajudicial executions and other unlawful
killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture and forced
labour.
“The Council’s resolution must reflect this, and call on
Myanmar to immediately end human rights violations against minorities in all
parts of the country.”
Source: https://lnkd.in/dFw77Ky