Secretary of State Agnès Callamard responds to International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan’s arrest warrant for Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing over his role in the Myanmar and Bangladesh are responsible for crimes against humanity by deporting and persecuting the Rohingya people.
“Today’s announcement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is a decisive step and an important signal – both to Myanmar and to the rest of the world – that those accused of crimes under international law will be arrested and tried. , no matter how powerful they are.
“Myanmar must now break the cycle of impunity. No senior leader has been held accountable for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya, who have lost their lives, homes and entire communities and continue to face multiple crimes. Without accountability If pursued, more violations will occur. Min Aung Hlaing has been at the center of multiple human rights disasters in Myanmar. He oversaw violence against the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017 and led the 2021 coup. , resulting in the killing of nearly 6,000 civilians and plunging Myanmar into economic, political and social chaos.
“Although the arrest warrant sought in this case relates to the 2017 crisis, the Rohingya are still being persecuted and driven from Myanmar to Bangladesh. This year has been the worst year for violence against the community since 2017, and the Rohingya Asian men, women and children have been trapped in explosions or drowned in armed clashes between Myanmar’s army and the rebel Arakan Army.
“If the arrest warrant is approved, Min Aung Hlaing should be arrested immediately and handed over to the International Criminal Court to face trial. In the meantime, we can do more to build on this momentum and hold the Rohingya and all people of Myanmar accountable. This should start with the United Nations Security Council referring the entire situation in the country to the International Criminal Court.
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A statement from the ICC prosecutor said this was the first time an arrest warrant had been issued for a senior Myanmar military official, but more applications would follow.
The ICC Prosecutor’s Office claimed that the crimes were committed within a four-month period from August 25, 2017, to December 31, 2017.
Beginning in August 2017, the Myanmar military drove more than 740,000 Rohingya men, women and children to Bangladesh, an operation that Amnesty International said at the time constituted a crime against humanity under international law.
In a 2018 report, Amnesty International identified 13 individuals against whom it had gathered extensive and credible evidence that they were directly or command responsible for crimes against humanity. Min Aung Hlaing tops the list.
Amnesty International also called on the United Nations Security Council to refer the full situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court prosecutor so that all crimes committed in Myanmar can be investigated.
