UN Report Calls for Burma Military to be Investigated by International Criminal Court for Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity

International human rights groups support the UN report call for the Burma military to be investigated by the International Criminal Court.
The UN report accuses the Burma military of genocide against the Rohingya living in Rakhine state and said the military were “killing indiscriminately, gang-raping women, assaulting children and burning entire villages.”
The report also concluded the Burma military had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on the country’s ethnic people.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Save the Chuildren, Fortify Rights and Burma Campaign UK called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the Burma military.
The Burma Campaign UK pushed for the British government to support an ICC referral and to “work to build a global consensus of countries and international bodies in support, this would have the best chance of overcoming a potential veto from China. The process of many countries coming out in support of an ICC referral would also start to erode [General] Min Aung Hlaing’s sense of impunity and could help prevent further atrocities.”
Burma Campaign UK, director, Mark Farmaner urged the British government to get behind the ICC investigation.
“It is simply not credible for the British government to claim it supports justice and accountability and then refuse to support referring Burma to the International Criminal Court, which was specifically set up for cases like this.”
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in a media statement that the “the [UN’s] Fact-Finding Mission’s powerful report and clear recommendations demonstrate the obvious need for concrete steps to advance criminal justice for atrocious crimes, instead of more hollow condemnations and expressions of concer.”
Mr Adams urged “UN member states…step up efforts that include the urgent creation of an International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism to ensure those most responsible for grave crimes do not escape prosecution.”
The UN report specifically named six Burma military generals for investigation and prosecuted for genocide and for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine kachin and Shan States. The named militar are: Commander-in-chief, Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy commander-in-chief, Vice Snr-Gen Soe Win, Lt Gen Aung Kyaw Zaw, Maj Gen Maung Maung Soe, Brig Gen Aung Aung and Brig Gen Than Oo.
The UN report condemned Aung San Suu Kyi for taking a passive position while the military killed, raped and burnt Rohingya people from their homes. The report blamed her for not using her position as “head of government, nor her moral authority, to stem or prevent the unfolding events in Rakhine state.”
It has is well documented that Burma’s security forces conducted a campaign of violence against Rohingya people in 2017 that amounted to ethnic cleansing – killings, rape, mass arson and other crimes against humanity that resulted in an estimated 25,000 people been killed and caused 800,000 people to take refuge in Bangladesh.